


Father Figure

by TheodoraThayer



Category: Degrassi the Next Generation
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Friendship, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:34:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 32,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29188629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheodoraThayer/pseuds/TheodoraThayer
Summary: AU - What if Emma Nelson and Sean Cameron shared a secret, intimate night before Sean went to Afghanistan? And what if that night produced a child Sean never knew about? Well, it's nearly 14 years later, and Emma's son is looking and acting just like his father. This is what happens when Sean discovers the son he never knew existed.
Relationships: Christine "Spike" Nelson/Archibald "Snake" Simpson, Jay Hogart/Manuela "Manny" Santos, Sean Cameron/Emma Nelson, Sean Cameron/Jay Hogart





	1. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma Nelson thinks it's going to be a typical Monday at work. She's wrong.

The morning began like every other weekday morning for Emma Nelson. She woke up to her phone alarm going off, then groaned, shut it off, stretched, got out of bed, and walked down the stairs from her attic master bedroom and down the second-floor hall to her son's room to wake him up for school.

"Drew?" She knocked then peeked her head into his room, "Time to wake up."

Drew would groan, and his responses to Emma's command were usually "Already?" or "Can I sleep five more minutes?" or his most popular answer, "I don't want to go to school."

Today it was, "I don't want to go to school," to which Emma replied, "That's too bad. You have to go. Now get up."

"Ugh, fine."

Emma shook her head, "I'm starting the shower for you, so you better get in there soon."

Drew covered his head with his pillow and said, "Okay, okay!"

Emma closed his door and headed to the three-piece washroom next to Drew's room. She turned on the shower and headed downstairs to cook some breakfast. She didn't do it every day, but she was in the mood to cook for her son this particular Monday morning.

She smiled when she heard Drew's footsteps go from his room to the washroom. She made him an omelet for breakfast and was finishing a bowl of cereal when he came downstairs. When he sat down, she asked, "So, how does today look?"

"Looks as boring as every other day."

Emma looked at her son and shook her head. He had entered his moody teenage years, and she was missing the cute, happy-go-lucky, pre-hormonal Andrew. "Any tests? Papers due?"

"Nope. I had an algebra test on Friday. We should get the grades today." He took a bite of his omelet and said, "And I think we'll be getting our History grades too."

Emma asked, "And how do you think you did?"

Drew shrugged.

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Drew rolled his eyes and continued to eat.

When Emma finished her cereal, she went upstairs to shower and get ready for work.

After he finished his breakfast, Drew retreated to his room to get ready for school and get his books together.

* * *

Emma, who was putting some lip gloss on as she was walking down the stairs from her room, called from down the hall, "Are you ready yet, young man?"

"Yes, mom."

"Good, because it's time to go. Grandpa is expecting you in his office first thing."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Emma peeked into her son's bedroom, "You're the one who got in trouble. Not me."

"Whatever."

"Don't 'whatever' me. Downstairs now." Emma walked away from her son's room and couldn't help but giggle. He definitely took after his father. She walked down the stairs, put on her coat, grabbed her purse, and waited. She called up the stairs, "Andrew Cameron Nelson, if you're not down here in five seconds."

Drew jogged down the stairs and looked at his mother.

She asked, "Do you have everything?"

"Yes," Drew rolled his eyes, and Emma opened the front door.

She pointed toward the front door and said, "Go."

Emma pulled up to the Degrassi Community School and looked at her son, "Andrew, can we have just one trouble-free day?" He rolled his eyes at her, and she continued, "I don't think I'm asking for too much."

"Fine. I'll try."

"Thank you." She unlocked the passenger door and said, "So I'll pick you up after detention?"

"Yes. Can I go now?"

"Yes, you can. Have a good day."

Drew mumbled, "Whatever," under his breath, opened the door, and walked out.

Emma shook her head. It felt as though she was being punished for never telling Sean Cameron about his son. However, it was getting tougher and tougher to conceal Drew's true parentage because his behavior was just like Sean's when he was a teenager, and he resembled his father right down to his light eyes. The only thing different is Drew inherited Emma's height genes, or maybe they were Sean's father's height genes. Either way, at nearly 14, Drew was already 5'7" tall and showing no signs of stopping. Emma had been hoping that her son would inherit her darker eyes, but no such luck. She gave birth to Sean Cameron's clone.

* * *

Emma arrived at work and sat at her desk. She became a realtor when Drew went into kindergarten and had become one of the best realtors in her agency and all of Toronto. Thanks to her hard work and high-end clients, Emma could afford to live in a large semi-detached house in a well-sought after neighborhood in Toronto. To most people, it seemed as if it was way too much house for two people, but Emma always wanted a big house, so she bought it when she could. She had hoped that one day she'd have enough family to justify the purchase.

Even though they lived about 20 minutes away, Emma enrolled Drew in Degrassi because she wanted him to experience the same schooling she did. And it was easier to keep tabs on him with her father as the principal.

Her boss walked over to her desk and greeted her, "Hey, Emma."

"Hi, Dylan."

"How are you looking today?"

"I have three showings."

"Oh, good."

"Yep," She opened her desk drawer, looked through her file tabs, and grabbed a folder. "I was picking up the paperwork for my first two showings. One of which is the three-story house on Lytton Boulevard." She held it up to show Dylan. "And I'll be heading over to the one on Indian Road later today."

"Both are spectacular, but the one on Lytton, wow."

Emma nodded, "I know. Someone should scoop it up soon. Hopefully, it will be this couple."

He smiled and asked, "Do you think you have time for one more today?"

"I don't see why not, why? Who needs help?"

"Miriam. She's sick and is supposed to show a pretty-nice apartment to a client today." He handed her the folder.

Emma thumbed through it and nodded, "Wow, this is a nice place."

"Yeah, the guy owns his own business, and he's looking for a bigger apartment closer to his job."

"Okay." She looked at the specs, "This place seems a little big for a single guy. But, don't worry, it should be an easy sell."

"I don't know if he's single, but it is a great place, and if anyone can sell it, you can." He turned to walk away, then turned back around, "I really appreciate you doing this."

Emma smiled and said, "Not a problem."

"The appointment is at 1."

"Sounds good. That's right in between my other appointments and on the way to the house on Indian Road."

Dylan smiled, "You're the best, Emma."

She smiled, and he walked away. She gathered all the paperwork for the day and headed to her car.

As she waited outside the building where Miriam's appointment was to take place, Emma's phone buzzed. It was Archie.

"Oh, God. What now?" Emma assumed Drew got in trouble again, but it was actually good news when she opened the text.

"Drew passed his algebra test. He not only passed it, but he also got an 82."

Emma smiled and said, "Finally." She was about to text Archie back when she heard someone call her name.

"Emma?"

* * *

Sean Cameron was on his way to a real estate appointment. After three years of owning and running Cameron's Custom Cars, he had finally saved up enough money to buy an apartment. He had been looking for a little while but couldn't commit to anything, just like his love life. He was still single in his early 30s, and whenever someone brought it up, he'd joke that he was married to his job. He wasn't lying, exactly. The shop was open six days a week, and he ran the office and worked on cars, so he was always busy, but he loved it. Opening his own shop was his dream, and when it finally became a reality, Sean wanted to make sure everything was done correctly.

He parked his truck up the street from the building where he was supposed to be meeting a substitute agent. His regular agent, Miriam, had texted Sean to let him know that she was sick but that another agent in the firm would help him today.

As he walked toward the person standing in front of the building, he couldn't believe his eyes. It was Emma Nelson.

Sean hadn't seen Emma since she was 18, but there was no mistaking her. She was a woman now. He noticed she was looking at her phone and when he saw her smile, his heart skipped a beat. No other woman could live up to Emma. That was another reason Sean was still single. Sean could never get Emma out of his system. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he measured up every woman to Emma, and if they didn't, he'd be out the door.

He called out her name, and she stopped typing on her phone.


	2. Long Time, No See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean and Emma see each other for the first time in a long time.

Emma froze. She heard a voice she hadn't heard in nearly 14 years. It couldn't be him. She took a deep breath, looked up, and she felt faint. It was him. He was older, but there was no mistaking that face. Sean Cameron was walking towards her. She nearly squeaked out his name, "Sean?"

"Wow, it is you." Sean smiled and walked up to her, "So are you, my agent, today?"

"Um, yes, Miriam's sick, so I said I would do this showing for her."

"Yeah, she texted me and told me she wasn't feeling well, but she also assured me that her coworker would take excellent care of me." He smiled at her. "It's great to see you."

"It's great to see you too."

They hugged awkwardly, and Sean pulled away. "So that you know, I don't have that much time because I have to get back to work."

"Right." Emma took out the set of keys to get into the building and into the apartment. "Well, let's head upstairs then."

Sean couldn't believe it. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him. But it wasn't. It was really Emma Nelson. He followed her into the building and the elevator. The ride up was awkward and silent. He couldn't think of anything to say to her, and she avoided saying anything to him. He noticed her left hand had a band on the ring finger, and he immediately felt sad then realized that was a silly thing to feel. They hadn't seen each other for so long. Not since they were 18 and 19, so why would it matter if she was single or not? She moved on with her life and isn't harboring feelings for him like Sean is for her.

Emma was afraid she would trip in front of Sean. Her legs felt weak. She couldn't believe it was him. She kept thinking to herself, 'Don't trip,' repeatedly, and she took her steps carefully. When they got into the elevator, she couldn't even look at him. She was afraid she'd reveal too much just by looking at him, so she looked at her phone and pretended to be busy with work stuff.

As they walked down the hall together, with Emma walking slightly ahead of Sean, she started her sales pitch, "So this place is a two-bedroom, it has 2 and 1⁄2 baths, it's 1600 square feet, it's open concept, and you have a balcony that has views of the lake."

Sean couldn't care less. He couldn't stop looking at her. "Yeah, sounds great."

Emma keyed in and opened the door. "Oh, and there's a gym on the third floor and a nice roof deck with a barbecue and seating areas in case you want to throw a party."

"Great." Sean followed her inside.

"Here's the half bath." She opened the door, "It's a nice feature because people won't have to use either of the bathrooms attached to the bedrooms."

Sean peeked in. It was modern, clean, and perfect. It had a glass vessel sink on top of a wood cabinet. "This is great." He thought to himself, 'Jesus, Cameron, stop saying great.'

Emma walked into the apartment's main part, which contained the kitchen, dining area, and living area. The two bedrooms were on either side, and they both had attached baths. They considered the bedroom on the left the master because it was slightly bigger, had a bigger closet, and had access to the balcony. "The bedrooms are nearly identical, but this one," She pointed toward the left, "Is a bit bigger, and it has balcony access."

"Oh, okay." Sean walked in, and Emma followed. He looked at the balcony, "That's really nice," He turned and looked at her, "But it's a little too cold to go back out there." He then walked around the room. He opened the closet and chuckled, "I definitely don't need this much closet space."

Emma smiled. She noticed his left ring finger was empty and wondered if he was single or just not committed to anyone.

He walked into the master bathroom and nodded, "This is perfect. Kind of masculine, don't you think?" He opened and closed the doors on the bathroom vanity, dark wood with a quartz counter and two white vessel sinks.

Emma nodded, "Yeah, I'd probably add a little chandelier to make it not so masculine in here."

Sean looked at her, and Emma walked out of the bathroom.

"Anyway," She walked back into the living area, "What do you think of the main living space?"

Sean followed her and looked around, "I like this a lot. It's bright in here."

"Yeah. South-facing windows bring in a lot of light during the day." Emma pointed toward a corner in the room, "This would probably be where you'd put a dining table."

Sean smiled and said, "Guess I have to buy one." Emma smiled, and Sean walked over to the second bedroom. He peeked in and looked back at Emma, "This place is really something."

Emma smiled, "Oh! I forgot to show you the best part."

"Oh?"

She nodded, "Yep." They walked back toward the entryway, and Emma opened a door that Sean thought was another closet, but it revealed a stacked washer/dryer.

"Oh yeah, that is perfect." He looked and said, "I'm sick of having to do my laundry in a laundromat."

Emma smiled and closed the door, "So, are you thinking about getting this place?"

He nodded, "Yep," He looked toward the second bedroom, "I was a little worried about it being too big for just me, but I can always use that room as an office or guest room for my parents."

"How are they doing?"

"They're getting old."

Emma smiled.

Sean said, "Anyway, let me think about it. I can let you know by close of business today."

"Sounds good." She took out her phone. "Let's exchange numbers."

"Okay."

"I'll give you my personal number since we're old friends."

Sean smiled. They exchanged numbers, and Sean said, "I really have to get going, but I'll call you before 5, okay?"

"Yep. I'll be waiting."

He hugged her again, "It was great to see you."

"It was great to see you too."

The hug lingered a little longer than either of them expected, and Sean suddenly pulled away, "So I'll talk to ya later."

"Yep."

"Bye."

Sean nearly jogged out of the apartment then looked back at the door as it closed. He couldn't believe it. Emma Nelson was back in his life. There were so many times when he wanted to get in touch with her but chickened out, and now she was back, seemingly out of nowhere.

Emma stood inside the apartment shellshocked. She had to sit down for a few moments and compose herself before she could leave. She felt like she was on the verge of tears, and she needed to calm down. Emma wasn't ready to have Sean back in her life. Not until she could figure out how to tell him about his son.

Her phone buzzed. It was Archie again. "More good news. Drew got an 83 on his history exam. The tutoring is working."

Emma smiled then thought about Sean. How would he react when he finds out he has an almost 14-year-old son he never knew existed?

* * *

Sean drove back to work and couldn't concentrate at all. He was so shocked to see Emma that he didn't know how to act around her. He didn't even ask her what was going on in her life or about the ring on her finger. But Emma was also silent. Sean assumed she was just as shocked to see him as he was to see her.

Sean looked at the clock on his computer screen, and when it hit 4:45, he called Emma.

As he waited for her to answer, he rehearsed the conversation in his head but as soon as she answered, that went out the window.

"This is Emma."

"Hey, it's Sean."

"Oh, hi. Sorry, I'm in work mode and didn't even realize I was answering my personal phone."

Sean laughed, "That's okay."

Emma asked, "So have you decided?"

"Yep. I will bid on it."

"Wonderful! Miriam will be thrilled."

"I'm sure she will be. This was the 10th place she pulled for me."

"Wow. I didn't realize you were so picky, Sean."

He laughed, "Yeah, neither did I."

Emma laughed and looked at her computer, "So I can send you the paperwork via email, then you can print it out, sign it and scan it."

"Sounds good."

Sean gave her his email address, and Emma asked, "Cameron's Custom Cars?"

"Yep. Opened nearly three years ago."

"Sean, that's amazing."

"Yeah, I still can't believe it."

"I don't mean to sound condescending when I say this, but I'm proud of you."

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you, Em."

As soon as he called her, "Em," Emma felt tears building in her eyes, and she cleared her throat, "So I'll send you the paperwork in a few minutes, and you can send it to Miriam as soon as you can. I'll copy her in the email."

"Sounds good."

"Okay, well, it was good seeing you."

"It was good to see you too."

Her heart started racing, but she didn't want this to be it between them. So she asked him out, "Sean?"

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner sometime?"

Sean asked, "Your husband wouldn't mind?"

Emma asked, "Husband?"

"Yeah, I noticed you were wearing a band on your left hand."

"Oh!" Emma laughed, "I'm not married. I just wear that as a deterrent."

"Is it that much of a problem?"

"You wouldn't believe how much of a problem it is. Even married men hit on me."

"Well, I mean, who could blame them." Sean cleared his throat, "So you're not married or engaged?"

"No, I am not. I am single." Emma asked, "And you? Wife? Fiance?"

"No. Not even close."

Emma felt relieved, "Oh yeah?"

"Yes."

"So dinner?"

Sean smiled, "Yes. I would love to. We haven't seen each other for a long time, and it would be nice to catch up properly."

She smiled, "Good."

He asked, "How about this Friday night?"

Emma smiled, "I'm available."

Sean said, "Good. We have a lot to catch up on."

"We certainly do." Emma thought about just how much they had to catch up on, and her heart started racing.

"I'll call you later in the week, and we'll finalize plans then."

"Okay, sounds good."

Sean didn't want to hang up with her, but one of his workers stood at his door. "Um, Em, I gotta go. One of my guys needs me."

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah, bye."

"Bye."

Sean looked at his mechanic Brad and asked, "Everything okay?"

"Yep. Just letting you know I'm done with the BMW."

"Great," Sean stood up, "Let's take a look at it."

Emma knew going out to dinner with Sean would be risky, but she hoped that she'd come up with a way to tell him about Drew before Friday arrived. She knew his reaction would not be a good one, but she wanted to be the one to tell him. She couldn't take the chance of him finding out on his own.


	3. State of Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean is in for the shock of his life.

Two days later, Emma was finishing up at her office. She walked over to her boss's office. "Hey, Dylan."

"How's this week going for you?"

"Well, so far. Two of my three clients are taking their place, and Miriam's client is taking her place. Well, he's bidding on it. I think I forgot to tell you that the other day." She shook her head, "I'm sorry, I've had a lot on my mind."

"That's okay." Dylan looked at his computer screen and said, "You're my best agent, Emma."

She smiled and said, "Thanks." She continued, "So all the paperwork is with the clients, and I'm heading out of here. I have to pick up my son at school."

He looked at his clock and said, "So late?"

"Detention. Again."

"Sorry to hear it."

Emma shrugged her shoulders, "He's a typical teenage boy who enjoys getting into trouble."

Dylan smiled.

"Have a good night."

"You too."

Emma walked over to her desk, grabbed her coat and purse, and left.

* * *

Emma parked in front of the Degrassi Community School and waited. Drew was running late, and she feared he had earned himself another detention. She was looking through her work emails on her phone when he opened the door and got in.

"Hey, kiddo." She put her phone in her purse, "How was school?"

"It was school."

She shook her head and pulled away from the curb. "So what are you in the mood to eat tonight?"

"A cheeseburger."

Emma laughed. No matter how much she tried, her son would never be a vegetarian. "You can have a cheeseburger."

"And not one of those Beyond or Impossible cheeseburgers. I want a real burger."

"Okay, fine. I can do that for you."

"Thanks."

Emma asked, "Any tests this week?"

"Not yet, unless someone surprises us with a pop quiz."

"Teachers still do that?"

"Sometimes."

Emma smiled, "Okay. And do you have a lot of homework tonight?"

"Yes."

"Great, so while  _ I'm _ making  _ your _ burger,  _ you _ can do your homework."

Drew rolled his eyes, and Emma smiled at him.

"Oh, you love me, and you know it."

Drew shook his head and couldn't help but laugh at his mother. "You're so weird, mom."

* * *

Sean sat in his truck and couldn't believe what he was seeing. The kid who emerged from Degrassi's main doors looked a lot like he did at 13, only with lighter hair. His heart raced, and then he thought back to the last time he saw Emma before deployment.

He had come back to say goodbye to the Simpson-Nelson clan before being sent to Kandahar, Afghanistan, and stayed with them for the weekend. The night before he left, Emma sneaked him down to her room, and they made love one last time. It was quiet; it was sweet, and he truly believed at the time that it would be the last time he'd ever be intimate with someone. Sean had convinced himself that he'd never make it out of Afghanistan alive.

Sean watched as Emma's car pulled away from the curb, and he said, "Holy shit. I have a son." He put his truck in drive and followed Emma's car.

* * *

About an hour later, Emma was making dinner when her doorbell rang.

"Sweetie, can you answer the door and see who it is?"

Drew didn't move and said, "Mom, I'm in the middle of Call of Duty."

Emma turned around, "What have I told you about that?" She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, "You play that when you're done with your homework, and I know you're not done yet."

"Ugh," Drew turned it off, "Fine. I'll go finish my homework." He walked over to the stairs, and Emma went to the front door.

"I'll be up there in a few minutes to make sure you're actually working, young man."

"Okay, okay." He stomped up the stairs, and Emma shook her head.

Sean was pacing on Emma's front porch and could hear her exchange with their son. He took a deep breath while he waited for her to open the door.

Emma opened the door, shocked at who was standing there. "Sean?" She turned to make sure Drew was in his room and then turned back to Sean, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I don't know. I just figured I'd stop by and see how  _ my _ child was doing."

Emma felt faint, "Who told you?"

"No one told me. I  _ saw _ him."

She asked, "How on earth did you see him?"

"That doesn't matter right now. What matters is you keeping my child from me for nearly 14 years."

Emma lowered her voice and said, "Please keep your voice down."

Sean shook his head and lowered his voice, "How could you do this to me, Emma?"

Emma quietly said, "I'm sorry."

"That's great. You're sorry." He had tears in his eyes. "I could have helped you. You didn't have to do this by yourself."

"Hold on. I'll come outside." She grabbed her coat, stepped out onto the porch, and shut the front door.

He looked at her and asked, "Would I have ever known about him?"

She quietly answered, "Eventually."

Sean scoffed, "Eventually? Would you have kept him from me until he was 30?"

"No." She shook her head and cried, "The longer I went without telling you, the easier it became to keep it a secret." Emma looked at Sean, "But then he turned into your clone. His behavior, his attitude, his face. It's uncanny."

"Maybe it's karma for keeping him from me all these years."

She looked at the door then back at Sean, "I'm not sure if he's ready to meet you yet. That's why I thought we should go to dinner. I wanted to tell you then."

"Fine. I'm not staying, but I just wanted you to know that I know about him." He walked down the stairs and turned toward her, "And forget about going out to dinner. I'm too angry to even look at you right now."

"Sean!" He didn't even turn back after she called his name. He walked away from the house, and Emma cried even harder. She had never seen Sean this angry or hurt.

"Shit." She hit the front door with her fist and leaned her head against it. After a few moments, she opened the door and stepped inside.

"Mom?" Drew peeked down the stairs, "Are you okay?"

She quickly wiped her face and hung up her coat, "Yep." She turned around and mustered a smile, "I'm fine. Dinner will be ready in about 5 minutes."

Sean stormed away from Emma's house and got into his truck. He didn't start it right away. Instead, he hit the steering wheel with his fists and put his head down. He was so angry with Emma for keeping his son from him. He didn't even know how to react or what to do.

* * *

"Drew, dinner's ready!"

Drew jogged down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, "So who was at the door?"

"Just a cable salesman."

"A cable salesman made you that angry?"

"They can annoy you sometimes." She looked at him, "Eat your dinner."

"Fine."

Emma and her son ate in silence. She watched him eat his burger, and it was like being in seventh and eighth grade all over again. Drew was so much like his dad. He had his mannerisms. He rubbed his nose a lot. He rolled his eyes a lot. He cleared his throat a lot. He had Sean's dimples. You could see them when Drew smiled, which wasn't often lately. Especially not now that he's a brooding teenage boy.

Emma knew that growing up without a father was difficult for Drew, but Archie filled in as a father figure as much as possible, and he was a happy kid until his hormones kicked in.

Emma didn't want Sean to find out about Drew until she could tell him herself. And she didn't want him to discover Drew on his own because she knew how angry he'd be. She couldn't figure out how he found out.

* * *

After driving around for a while, Sean walked into his apartment, took off his coat, and flopped onto his couch. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. He was so angry with Emma, but he wanted to meet his child, and he knew he couldn't shut her out of his life; otherwise, Sean would never see him.

Sean gave himself a few more minutes to calm down, then he grabbed his phone and sent her a text. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you. I'm just in shock."

As he waited for her answer, he grabbed a beer.

Emma was sitting on her couch moping when her phone vibrated. She looked and saw it was a text from Sean. She read the message and exhaled. She felt relief.

Emma texted back, "Don't be sorry. I deserved worse."

Sean took a deep breath and sent, "I'd still like to get together for dinner because we have a lot to talk about."

Emma texted, "We do."

Sean wrote back, "We'll talk tomorrow."

Emma typed back, "Okay."

Sean took a sip of his beer and said to himself, "I can't believe I have a son." He shook his head and drank some more.

Emma put her phone on her coffee table, tucked her feet under her rear end, and rested her head on the couch.

* * *

In the office the next day, Miriam walked over to Emma.

"Thank you so much for the help with Mr. Cameron. He was a tough client, so I'm glad you could talk him into bidding for that place down by the water."

Emma smiled, "Honestly, I think the place did most of the talking."

"Well, either way. Thank you."

Emma nodded, then rolled her eyes behind Miriam's back. If Miriam had done her own showing, Sean wouldn't have found out about Drew. At least not yet.

* * *

Later that day, just after lunch, Sean texted Emma.

"So are we still on for dinner this weekend?"

Emma's phone buzzed as she was driving, and she turned it over when she got to a red light. She read Sean's message and answered, "If you still want to."

Sean answered back immediately, "Yes, I still want to."

Emma took a deep breath.

He texted again, "We'll finalize everything tomorrow, okay?"

Emma replied, "Sounds good."

Sean didn't text back, and Emma felt a pang in her chest. She was afraid of how mad Sean was and afraid that no matter what she tells him, he wouldn't forgive her.


	4. Need You Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean is still reeling.

Sean had a hard time concentrating at work the rest of the day, and when he got home from work that night, he sent Emma three texts in a row.

"I need to see you tonight."

"I can't wait until tomorrow."

"Is there any way you can come over to my place?"

Emma looked at her phone, panicked slightly, then typed back, "Yes. I can. Just have to get mom or Archie to come over to watch Drew."

Sean said, "Drew" out loud. He finally knew his son's name.

He texted her the directions to his place, and she texted back, "Just give me 20 minutes to a half an hour."

Sean texted back, "Okay." He took a quick shower and changed into jeans and a gray henley shirt. He sat down on his couch at first but was feeling too antsy to sit still. He got up, and he started pacing, but after a few moments, he realized he'd probably burn a hole in his rug. So Sean calmed his nerves by cleaning up. There wasn't that much to do. Sean's apartment wasn't that large, and he kept it relatively neat. After he straightened up his living room, Sean sat on the edge of his couch and anxiously awaited Emma's arrival.

Emma called her mom and explained what was going on. She climbed the stairs, peeked into Drew's room, and said, "Your grandma is coming over. I have to go out for a little while."

Drew didn't take his eyes off his computer and said, "Okay."

Emma closed his door and walked up to her bedroom to change out of her work outfit. She had a feeling Sean would ream her out when she got to his place, and she wanted to be comfortable in her clothes. She put on a soft, oversized royal blue sweater, medium-wash skinny jeans, and a pair of knee-high black leather riding boots. She was also hoping that looking good would make Sean soften up a bit when she arrived.

* * *

When Christine walked in, Emma put on her coat, "Thanks for this, mom. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem. I'll make sure Drew finishes his homework."

"Thanks. I don't think I'll be too long."

"It's fine if you are. I enjoy spending time with my grandson even if he doesn't enjoy spending time with me."

Emma laughed, "Don't take it personally. He doesn't really enjoy spending time with anyone these days."

"Well, good luck."

Emma took a deep breath, "Thanks, I will definitely need it."

Emma headed out the door, and Christine sighed, "Please. Let everything be okay."

* * *

Sean was sitting on the edge of his couch when his buzzer rang. He took a deep breath and jogged over to the intercom. He let Emma into the building, opened the door to his place, and looked down the hall toward the elevator. A few moments later, he watched as she stepped out. He waved at her, and she walked toward him. His heart raced as soon as she looked at him, but he didn't want her to know how nervous he was.

Emma looked down the hall at Sean and felt terror. She knew she had to do this, but she was afraid of Sean's wrath.

He said, "Hi."

Emma replied quietly, "Hello."

He held the door open and said, "Come on in."

Emma walked in, and Sean closed the door.

"Can I take your coat?"

"Yes, thanks."

Sean took Emma's coat and hung it up. "Come on in." They walked down the long hall, past his bathroom and bedroom, and into the principal living area of his place, which contained both the living room and kitchen, "Would you like something to drink?"

Emma looked around and then sat down on the couch, "Some water would be nice." Her throat was so dry. It was almost burning. Her nerves had gotten the best of her.

"You got it." Sean grabbed a glass and filled it for her, "Here you go."

"Thank you." Emma took a sip, was about to put the glass on Sean's side table, then took another sip. She looked around and said, "This is a nice place."

"Thanks." Sean dragged a chair from his small dining table over and sat down in front of Emma. She put her glass on the table and readied herself for Sean's wrath. He looked at her and said, "So…" Emma said nothing. "If we hadn't run into each other, were you ever going to tell me about him?"

She looked down at her hands and nodded, "Yes."

"Emma, I could have been helping you this whole time. I could have been sending you money if you didn't want me around."

"That's not..." Emma shook her head and stopped herself from saying anything else.

Sean said, "I feel like a deadbeat dad." He asked, "Does he think I'm a deadbeat dad?" She looked up at him and shook her head, "Is he even curious about me?"

"He is. He knows that you didn't know about him, and I think a lot of his anger stems from that."

Sean shook his head, "I really can't believe you did this to me."

"You had enough to deal with. You were fighting a war. Adding a baby to that? It seemed like too much."

"Okay, I'll give you that, but what about after, Emma? I made it back home alive, and you never even told me I had a son. I could have been in his life this whole time."

Emma cried, "I'm sorry, Sean. I really am. It was so stupid of me." Sean got up and sat next to her on the couch. "I should have told you right away."

"Remember the scare we had in high school?"

She looked at him, "How can I forget?"

"I told you I'd send you money and help you out. That I'd be home on leave."

"But I wanted more than that. I wanted you to be with me all the time, and you weren't."

"So instead, you punished me by not telling me about my son for almost 14 years?"

She shook her head. "No. That's not what happened!" She sobbed, and Sean didn't know what to do. He was angry with her, but he also was still in love with her, and he couldn't hate her even though nearly everyone else in his position would.

"Come here," Sean wrapped his arms around Emma and let her cry into his chest. After a few moments, Sean smelled her hair and couldn't help kissing it.

Emma pulled away from his chest and looked at him with tears in her eyes. Sean stared back and couldn't stop himself from grabbing her and kissing her. Emma kissed him back, but it lasted only a few moments.

Sean pulled away and stood up, "Sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"I do." Sean turned to her, and she said, "You still love me."

He shook his head and paced, "I think I am just overwhelmed by everything. Seeing you again after all these years, finding out we have a child together..." Sean was lying. He still loved her.

Emma shook her head, "Nope. That kiss was not an 'I am overwhelmed by everything' kiss, Sean." She looked up at him and said, "That was an 'I'm still in love with you' kiss."

Sean stopped pacing, looked at her, and accepted his defeat, "Fine. I'll admit it. I'm still in love with you. And I will probably always be in love with you, but I'm also so angry at you."

Emma nodded, "I know, and you have every right to be."

"You kept my child from me. I missed him being born. I missed his first words, his first steps, his first day at school. I've missed so much, Emma." Emma said nothing, and he sat on the arm of the couch, "What's his full name? You called him Drew earlier."

"His name is Andrew Cameron Nelson."

Sean's eyes teared up, "You gave him my name?"

Emma nodded and smiled, "I did."

"When's his birthday?"

"March 6."

"So he's turning 14 soon." He shook his head and let tears fall from his eyes, "Who else knows?"

"My parents, Manny and Liberty."

"That's it?"

"Well, Marco figured it out."

Sean looked shocked, "Marco? Del Rossi?"

"He's Drew's English teacher at Degrassi, and not only is the resemblance uncanny, but he's so much like you were at that age. Especially his attitude."

"Oh yeah?"

Emma nodded, "It was at parents' night earlier this year. Marco pulled me aside and said how obvious it was becoming. He remarked about how much Drew was like you." Sean looked at her. "He has your hair, your eyes, your nose, and dimples."

"Please tell me he has your height." Emma smiled and nodded. "Oh, good."

"Oh, stop. You're acting as if you're Marco's height."

Sean smiled. "So he's a lot like me?"

Emma nodded and patted the spot next to her on the couch, "So much like you. It's you in eighth grade again, just with lighter hair."

Sean sat down next to her and shook his head, "I can't believe he's a teenager."

"So would you like to meet him?"

He turned to her, "Of course I do."

"Okay, we'll arrange something."

"I just don't want to overwhelm him."

Emma grabbed his hand, "You won't."

"And I don't want him to hate me."

"He'll hate me more than you. Believe me."

"I can't wait to tell my parents they're grandparents for the fourth time."

"Tracker has three?"

Sean nodded, "All girls."

"Wow."

Sean laughed, "Yeah. I cannot imagine what it's like."

They talked for a little while, and it turned into a pleasant conversation. Emma was glad about that. She expected Sean to yell at her the entire time. Sean was also glad. He didn't want to yell at Emma. He just wanted to know more about his son.

Emma checked the time on her phone and said, "I should get back home. Drew is probably torturing his grandmother."

Sean chuckled and said, "Poor Christine."

Emma smiled and stood up. Sean joined her, and they walked down the hall to his entryway.

Sean grabbed her coat out of the closet and asked, "So can we still go to dinner tomorrow night?"

Emma said, "If you want to."

Sean helped her with her coat, "I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't want to go." Emma turned, so they were face-to-face. They stood there for a few moments staring at each other, and Sean asked, "What is this hold you have over me, Em?"

Emma took a step closer, so their faces were almost touching, then rubbed her nose against his, "It's probably the same hold you have over me."

Sean couldn't take it any longer, grabbed her face and kissed her again. This time neither one of them pulled away. They kissed and fumbled around until they made it into Sean's bedroom.

Sean was kissing her neck when Emma said, "Sean, wait."

Sean pulled away breathless, then leaned his forehead against hers, "What's wrong?"

She quietly asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Sean pushed her coat off her shoulders and smiled, "I've wanted to do this since I saw you the other day."

"But what about every—"

Sean put his finger to her lips and shook his head. "Don't overthink it." Then he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Okay?"

Emma nodded, and they kissed again. After a few moments, they undressed each other. Sean was the aggressor and had Emma sit on the foot of the bed so he could unzip her boots and take them off. Once they finished getting undressed, Emma crawled back toward his headboard, and Sean climbed on top of her.

"You're still so beautiful, Em." She blushed, and he caressed her face, "You are."

She smiled and said, "Take it easy, okay? It's been a long time for me."

He smiled, "You don't have to worry." He kissed her and pulled away, "I would never hurt you."


	5. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean and Emma get to know each other again.

A while later, Sean and Emma were lying together in Sean's bed. Emma was tracing circles on Sean's chest, and he was stroking her hair.

She smiled and said, "I can't believe we just did that."

He laughed, "Me either. But it was wonderful."

"It was." She laced her fingers with his.

"I couldn't let you leave, Em. I had to be with you again."

Emma looked up at him, "It reminded me of our first time in a way."

"Oh yeah?"

Emma nodded, "Because that's about how long it's been for me. But, obviously, it was better than our first time because we both know what we're doing now."

"Thank goodness." Sean smiled, "I really do love you, Emma. I've never stopped."

"I love you too." She raised herself, so they were face to face. "It's probably why I'm still single. Well, that and the whole having a child thing."

"I still can't believe I'm a dad." Emma nodded. "I also can't believe we just made love." Emma smiled and kissed him. When he pulled away, he asked, "Do you really have to go home?"

"I can probably stay a little while longer."

"Good."

* * *

Sean walked Emma to his door.

"Well, tonight didn't turn out exactly how I had planned."

Emma smiled.

"I want to meet Drew as soon as possible."

"How about tomorrow? You and I were going to dinner anyway. Maybe you could come to our house, and I can cook dinner for all three of us."

Sean nodded, "I can do that."

"Great." She looked at him and said, "I'd better go. It's getting late, and I have to relieve mom."

"Okay." He opened his door.

Emma smiled and said, "Goodnight, Sean."

"Goodnight, Em."

She walked out, and he watched as she waited for the elevator. She waved one last night before she stepped inside, and Sean closed his door.

* * *

When Emma keyed into her house, it was nearly 10 p.m. Christine, who was sitting on the couch reading a book, raised her eyebrow at Emma.

Emma asked, "What?"

"You have an 'I just had sex' look on your face, Em." Emma blushed. "Really?"

"Our feelings are very intense, and we couldn't help ourselves." She looked at her mom and said, "We still love each other."

"He said he loved you?"

Emma nodded, "He said he never stopped, but he also said that he's still furious with me for keeping his son away from him."

"That's understandable."

"I know." Emma hung up her coat. "So, how was Drew?"

"He was fine. Really."

"Good." She looked up the stairs and said, "I just don't know how he will react to finally meeting his dad."

Christine looked at Emma and asked, "So, how many times?"

Emma gasped and said, "Mom!"

"What?"

Emma shook her head and said, "Twice."

Christine smiled, "You two… you've always had that pull towards one another. Ever since you were kids."

Emma nodded, "Yep."

"Can I ask another uncomfortable question?"

"Sure."

"How long had it been for you?"

"To be honest, it felt like I was a virgin again because it had been so long, but he was wonderful, really."

"That's sweet."

"He is sweet. Too sweet. I did a really terrible thing." She shook her head, "Sean shouldn't be this nice to me. I deserve his wrath."

"Maybe he realizes that enough time has been wasted, and he doesn't want to waste any more time by being angry with you."

Emma nodded, "He's coming over tomorrow night to meet Drew."

"That soon?"

"Well, it's like you said, he doesn't want to waste any more time, and he wants to meet his son."

"How do you think Drew will react?"

Emma shook her head and looked up toward the second floor of the house, "I don't know."

* * *

Sean went back into his bedroom after Emma left, looked at the messy bedding, and smiled. The night didn't go exactly how he intended, but he was still happy about it.

* * *

Emma was attempting to read a book before bed but couldn't get past the same paragraph for close to half an hour. She kept thinking about her night with Sean and about how nice it was. After a while, she placed the book on her nightstand, grabbed her phone, and texted him.

"I just wanted to say thank you for earlier. I know you're still angry with me and that it'll take me a while to regain your trust, but I love you, and I will work hard to regain that trust."

Sean heard his phone buzz, and he looked at it. Instead of texting back, he called her.

Emma answered, "Sean?"

"Yep."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I just wanted to call and say goodnight."

Emma smiled, "Oh?"

"Look, I am still angry about all the time I've missed with my child, and I think I have a right to be angry about that."

"You definitely do."

"But we've wasted enough time, Em. We're back in each other's lives, and we still love each other. So let's get to know each other again, let me get to know my son, and let's see what happens."

"I think we got to know each other again pretty well tonight."

Sean laughed, "We did, yeah."

"But I know what you mean." She smiled, "And you're sure you want to come over tomorrow night?"

"Yes," Sean continued, "I don't think I can go another day without meeting my son."

"Okay."

"So I'll see you tomorrow night."

Emma replied, "Yes. Is 7:00 good for you?"

"Yep, 7:00 is perfect."

"Okay."

"Bye, Em."

"Bye, Sean."

Sean ended the call and closed his eyes. Emma took a deep breath, placed her phone on her nightstand, and got under the covers.

* * *

Emma was nervous the entire day leading up to Sean's visit because she would tell her son he was finally meeting his father when she got home from work. She didn't tell Drew before school because she didn't want him distracted all day.

Drew was playing video games when Emma keyed into the house. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hey, mom."

"How was school?"

"It was school."

Emma laughed at how much he was turning into teenage Sean. "Oh, okay."

She hung up her coat and turned back toward him. "When did Grandma leave?"

"10 minutes ago."

"Okay." She walked over to the couch and said, "Can you stop playing for a few minutes? I have to discuss something with you."

Drew rolled his eyes and said, "Uh oh. What did I do now?"

"You have done nothing wrong."

Drew furrowed his brows and said, "Okay, so why are you acting weird?"

Emma sat down next to him, "Your father is coming over tonight."

"Really?" Emma nodded. "Why?"

"Because he wants to meet you."

"Why now? It's been nearly 14 years."

"Andrew," She took a deep breath, "You know he didn't know about you."

Drew didn't respond.

"And he only just found out about you two days ago."

He asked, "So how come you never told him?"

Emma sighed, "It's a long and complicated story."

"And how come you told him now?"

"I didn't, actually. He found out on his own. He was the person at the door the other night."

"He's the one who made you cry?"

"He was angry, Drew. And he has every right to be angry with me."

Drew looked at her and asked, "So is he okay with having a kid?"

Emma nodded and smiled, "Yes. He's thrilled to have a kid. The reason he's coming over tonight is that he couldn't wait to meet you." He looked at her, and she asked, "Do you have questions about him?"

"What does he do?"

"He fixes and customizes cars."

"Oh yeah?" That piqued Drew's interest. Emma nodded. "That's pretty cool."

"He's always loved fixing cars. He's been doing it since he was your age. He even has his own shop."

"So now that he's in my life, does it mean that I have to stay with him on weekends or something?"

Emma smiled, "Let's not rush into things. Though I will say, he just bid on a nice apartment that overlooks the lake, and if you were to stay there, you would probably love it."

Drew nodded. "So when's he coming?"

"He'll be here at 7:00."

"Are we having dinner together?"

"Yes," Emma stood up, "I will cook something."

Drew wrinkled his nose, "Oh no, is it going to be something vegetarian?"

"Not for you or Sean but me, yes."

"His name's Sean?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. I can't believe I hadn't told you his name yet. His full name is Sean Cameron."

"My middle name is his last name?"

"Yep."

"Cool. Now I know why."

Emma smiled.

"Should I get dressed up?"

Emma shook her head, "Don't go too crazy. Your dad isn't a very formal guy."

"Okay."

She looked at her son and asked, "So how do you feel about this?"

He shrugged, "I'm okay, I guess."

"Because you know you can tell me anything."

Drew looked at her. "I just don't understand why you kept him from me."

"Because sometimes people make stupid mistakes, and I believed it would be better for both of you."

"Better for us to not know each other?"

"I wasn't thinking straight, Drew. And the longer the secret went on, the easier it was to keep it."

Drew looked down at his feet and quietly asked, "Did you guys love each other when you made me?"

Emma smiled, "We've always loved each other."

"Do you still love each other?"

Emma nodded, "We'll probably always love each other."

"So why aren't you together?"

"We just saw each other again for the first time in over 13 years. We can't fall right back into how it was when we were younger." Emma was lying through her teeth because that's exactly what's happened so far.

Drew looked confused, "So if you still love each other, get back together so we can be a family."

Emma sighed, "Oh, I wish it were that simple, sweetie."

"Well, today is Valentine's Day. Maybe that means something."

Emma laughed, "Is it? I didn't even realize."

Drew nodded, "Yeah. People were walking around with roses at school all day."

"Did you buy a rose for anyone?"

Drew scoffed, "No."

Emma smiled at his answer and at how much he looked and sounded like Sean when he said it. She asked, "Did anyone buy a rose for you?"

Drew looked at his mom, "Somebody left one on my locker."

Emma's eyes lit up, "You have a secret admirer?"

He rolled his eyes, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Emma nodded, "Yes, I am." She stood up, "Okay, I will change and then cook some dinner."

"Okay."

Emma walked over to the stairs and looked at her son, "So are you sure you're okay with this?"

Drew nodded, "Yep."

"Good."

Emma walked up the stairs and took a deep breath.


	6. Get Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean meets his son for the first time.

Sean pulled up to Emma's house at 6:55, and he was nervous. He had been nervous all day. He even snapped at one of his best workers, Pete. Sean apologized profusely and told him he had something important to do and that he was letting his nerves get the best of him.

Sean gathered everything he brought with him and took a deep breath. He had stopped off at a florist and picked up some flowers for Emma. He didn't even realize it was Valentine's Day until one of his workers told Sean his plans for the night. Sean also bought something for Drew—a headset for playing video games. And he bought a cheesecake for dessert. Sean waited in his truck until 7:03 because he didn't want to seem too anxious even though he felt as if he was jumping out of his skin. Sean would meet his son. The son he only found out about two days ago.

He rang the doorbell and heard Emma yell out, "Be right there!" Sean took a deep breath, and Emma opened the door. She smiled at him, "Hi, come on in."

"Hi." He walked into the entryway and handed her the flowers. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Emma smiled, "Thank you." She kissed his cheek and smiled at him. "They're beautiful. Here, let me take your coat." Sean took off his coat and handed it to her. She looked down at the bag he was carrying and asked, "What's all that?"

"I bought something for Andrew, and I brought some dessert. A cheesecake, I hope that's okay."

"How thoughtful of you." She hung up his coat then turned toward the stairs, "He's upstairs in his room."

Sean looked around and took a deep breath, "I'm nervous, and I'm afraid he will hate me."

"He won't hate you. Come on inside. I'll get him."

Sean nodded and took the flowers from her.

Emma walked up the stairs and knocked on Drew's room, "Hey, kiddo." She opened the door, and Drew was still figuring out what to wear.

Drew asked, "He's here?"

"Yep, he's downstairs." Emma smiled, "You didn't hear the doorbell?"

"No. I guess I'm nervous." He asked, "Do I look okay?" He was wearing a red polo shirt with white stripes and dark blue jeans.

Emma nodded, "Andrew, you look great, and just, so you know, your father is more nervous than you are."

"Really?"

She nodded again. She walked back into the hall, "Come down when you're ready."

He nodded, "I'll be down in like two minutes."

"Okay."

Emma walked down the stairs and into the living room. Sean was looking around, and she said, "You can sit."

"I'm too nervous to sit." Sean handed the flowers back to Emma.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Just water, thanks."

Sean followed Emma to the kitchen and looked around, "This is a nice place, Em."

"Thanks." Emma grabbed a vase and rinsed it in the sink, "It's not as nice as your new place."

He smiled, took out the dessert he bought, and placed it on her kitchen island.

She looked past Sean and said, "Hey, kiddo."

Sean took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at his son. He felt a flood of emotions as the boy walked toward him and couldn't believe the resemblance. Sean smiled and said, "Hello, Andrew."

Drew walked toward the kitchen and looked at his dad, also shocked at the resemblance. "You can call me Drew." They shook hands.

"Okay, Drew." He lifted his left hand and said, "Um, this is for you." He handed the bag to Drew.

"Thanks." Drew put the bag on the dining room table, looked in the bag, and gasped, "Oh my gosh, are you serious?"

Sean said, "If you have them already, I can get you something else."

"No. These are great." He pulled out the box, and Emma looked at it.

"Wow, you've wanted those headphones for a while."

Sean looked at Emma then at Drew and asked, "Is there a reason you haven't bought them?"

She looked at Sean and said, "Yes, but you know what?" She turned to Drew and said, "You got two great exam grades this week so think of this as your reward for them."

"Thanks so much, mom!"

"Don't thank me. Thank Sean."

Drew looked at Sean.

Sean joked, "Don't worry, you don't have to hug me or anything. I can't even imagine how strange this is for you."

Drew smiled, "Thank you for these headphones. I can't wait to use them."

"You're welcome."

Emma smiled.

* * *

During dinner, Sean looked at his son and asked, "So, you're not a vegetarian like your mom?"

"Ugh, no."

Sean laughed.

Emma turned and asked Sean, "Excuse me, but what's so funny?"

Sean shook his head and said, "Oh, nothing."

She nodded, "Uh-huh."

Drew looked at his parents. "So, how did you meet?"

Emma smiled, "We met in your grandpa's Media Immersion class in seventh grade."

Sean added, "My second attempt at seventh grade."

"You repeated the seventh grade?"

Sean nodded. "Long story, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten to know your mom as well as I did."

Emma agreed, "That's true. I would have been a weird seventh-grader with badly crimped hair who crushed on you from afar, and you would have been all over your fellow eighth-grade classmates."

Drew asked, "Crimped hair?"

Emma laughed, "I had a habit of doing weird things with my hair back then."

Sean looked at her and said, "It was like that on our first date."

Emma shook her head, "Our disastrous first date."

"You dated in seventh grade?"

Both Sean and Emma nodded.

Drew shook his head, "I can't believe you guys met at Degrassi. Grandma and Grandpa met at Degrassi."

"Who knows?" Emma grinned and said, "You may have already met your future wife."

Drew shook his head and said, "Nope. No way."

"Maybe she's the one who left the rose on your locker."

Sean asked, "Someone left a rose on your locker?"

Drew rolled his eyes, "Thanks, mom."

Sean laughed and took a sip of his drink.

"It was there when I was coming back from lunch."

Sean asked, "Were you happy about it?"

Drew shook his head, "No. It was embarrassing." He looked at Emma. "Oliver made fun of me for the rest of the day."

"Oliver was probably jealous," Emma asked, "Did he get a rose?"

"No."

Sean asked, "Is Oliver your best friend?"

Drew nodded.

"That's what best friends do. Who knows, maybe next week you'll have something to make fun of him about."

Drew said, "I hope so because he was really annoying today."

* * *

Dinner actually went well. Sean was getting to know his son, and Emma watched as the two of them bonded. After they finished eating, Drew took Sean upstairs to show him his room.

Sean looked around and said, "Wow, this is a cool room, Drew."

"Thanks. So mom told me you fix cars?"

Sean nodded, "I do."

"What kinds of cars?"

"All kinds. We also customize cars and mod them."

"Oh yeah?"

Sean nodded, "Yep. I recently customized Kyle Lowry's car."

Drew's face lit up, "Kyle Lowry? Are you serious?"

"Yep." Sean looked at the walls in his son's room and noticed a lot of Toronto Raptors and Blue Jays posters and pictures, "I see you like the Raptors."

"Heck yes."

"Well, maybe we can go to a game sometime."

"I would love to."

"I mean, we should check with your mom first, of course."

Drew nodded, "Yeah."

"But if she says yes, I would love to take you."

"That would be so cool."

"Good." Sean smiled at his son. "So, do you like school?"

"Not really."

Sean smiled, "Yeah, I didn't like it either. Your mom used to help me study."

"Oh yeah?"

Sean nodded. "The only thing I liked about it, besides your mom, was shop class."

"So when did you fall in love with mom?"

Sean didn't hesitate and said, "Seventh grade."

Drew looked skeptical, "You knew you were in love with her in seventh grade?"

"No, but looking back now, I realize that's when it happened."

"Wow."

"Yeah." Sean looked at his son and said, "So, no girls yet?"

Drew shrugged, "Girls seem to like me, but no one's really caught my eye yet. I've also known most of them since kindergarten."

Sean nodded. "Things will change for you soon. Some of those girls will show up at the start of the school year in the fall, and they'll look different, older. You don't have to rush anything. You are only 13."

"I'll be 14 soon."

"True." Sean asked, "So you're not even curious about who gave you the rose?"

"I think I know who did it."

"Oh?"

Drew nodded.

"But you don't like her like that."

Drew shook his head.

Emma peeked into the room, "Everything okay in here?"

Sean nodded.

Drew looked at his mom, "Yep. Everything's great."

* * *

At 9:30, Drew looked at his parents and said, "I'm kind of beat. I'm going to bed."

Emma looked shocked, "Really?"

Drew nodded. He walked over to her and hugged her goodnight. "Goodnight, mom."

"Goodnight, kiddo."

Drew walked over to Sean, and Sean stood up. He held out his hand, and Sean shook it. "Goodnight. And thanks again for the headphones."

Sean smiled and said, "You're welcome. Sleep well."

"Thanks."

Sean watched Drew walk up the stairs, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes. "He's amazing, Em."

Emma smiled. "He was well-behaved tonight."

"Oh?"

She nodded, "But maybe this will help him."

"What? Me?"

"Yes. I haven't seen him this happy in a while."

"He's so much like me. It's uncanny."

"I told you."

He wiped the tears off his face. "I just can't get over it." He sat down on the couch and tipped his head back. "I really can't believe I'm a dad."

Emma joined him, placed her hand on his chest, but said nothing.

He looked at her, "I'm glad I came over tonight."

"So am I."

He looked at her and said, "I know I should still be angry with you, but I'm just so happy to have this chance to get to know him." Emma nodded. "And I want to get to know him better. If he wants that."

"I think he does."

He smiled and said, "Good."

* * *

When Sean got home, he flashed back to the night they conceived Drew. He had just had a heart to heart with Archie about how scared he was to go to Afghanistan, and he was lying awake in the dark in the Simpson living room. Emma had gone out, and Sean hadn't really seen her that weekend. He understood why. She had moved on with her life and was gearing up for prom and graduation.

As he was lying there, on the pull-out couch, he heard the basement door open. He figured Emma was getting something to eat or drink. Suddenly she was standing right next to him. "Em?"

"Shhh." She held out her hand.

Sean sat up and whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"Come with me."

Sean followed Emma down to her room and asked, "What are we doing down here Em?" Emma turned back toward him, leaned forward, and was about to kiss him when Sean asked, "Whoa, what about your boyfriend?"

"Don't worry about him." Emma started kissing him, and Sean kissed her back. Two things were going through Sean's head as they kissed. One was that he still loved Emma and probably always would, and the other was that he was afraid he would die in Afghanistan. Those two things made it easy for him to give in to Emma's advances that night and not care that he helped her cheat on Damien.

After they made out a little while on Emma's bed, Emma started tugging at his shorts. Sean stopped her and asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Emma nodded, "Yes. I want to be with you tonight, Sean."

Sean was so happy to be with her one last time, and they made love quietly in the Simpson-Nelson basement.

Afterward, Sean held Emma for a while, and they said nothing. They didn't really have to. This was their goodbye. Sean sneaked out later that night while Emma was sleeping, and they both acted as if nothing happened the next morning when Sean left, but he carried that memory with him to Afghanistan. What he didn't realize at the time was that it was much more than just a pleasant memory for him and Emma. They created a life that night. A life Emma carried and birthed. A life she's raised on her own until now.


	7. Love and Basketball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean, Emma, and Drew have a memorable night together.

The following weekend, Emma was cooking breakfast for herself when she heard footsteps upstairs. She checked the time and couldn't believe it. Weekends were Drew's time to catch up on sleep, and if he woke up before 11, it was a minor miracle, so when he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen at 9:45, Emma nearly fell over. Then, after grabbing some orange juice, Drew kissed his mother on the cheek, and she asked, "Um, Andrew, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm great, mom."

He sat at the kitchen island, and Emma said, "You're up early today."

"I know. I couldn't fall back to sleep."

Emma nodded and asked, "So are you glad you met your dad and that you have been able to hang out a few times?"

Drew nodded and said, "Yes. I like him. He's pretty cool."

"Good."

"And he seems to love you a lot."

Emma looked at her son, "Oh? You think so."

Drew nodded. "And you seem happier now that he's back in your life."

"You're very astute."

"You two should probably get married."

"Let's not rush things, Drew. Your father and I were last together when we were 18 and 19. A lot can change."

"But if you love each other, it shouldn't matter."

"How did you become so wise?" Drew shrugged. She asked, "So what's your plan for the day?"

"Playing video games."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

She smiled and said, "Okay, fine. I'll allow it." A few seconds later, Emma's phone rang, and she looked at it. "Oh, it's your dad." She answered the phone and said, "Were your ears just burning?"

Sean laughed and said, "No, why? Were you talking about me?"

"Yes, but it was nothing but good things, I promise."

Sean smiled, "Oh good. I know it's kind of last-minute but are you and Drew busy tonight?"

"No, we're not busy. Why?"

"I got three tickets to the Raptors game tonight."

"Oh really?"

"Yep. Do you think you two would like to join me? I figured it could be an early birthday present for him."

"Hold on. Let me ask our son." Emma looked at Drew, "Feel up to going to the Raptors game tonight?"

He yelled, "Yes!"

Sean laughed.

Emma asked, "Did you hear that?"

"I did. How about I come by your place at 5? I'll pick you two up, and we can eat an early dinner by the arena, then go to the game."

"Sounds perfect."

"Cool, so I'll see you then."

"Okay."

"Bye."

Drew was very excited, "Can I brag to my friends about my cool dad?" Emma laughed. "I'm serious."

"If you feel comfortable doing it."

Drew nodded and smiled, "I'm so excited about this game."

Emma smiled. "Good, I'm glad."

* * *

Sean wanted to impress his son for his birthday, so he got in touch with Kyle Lowry, who hooked him up with three courtside seats and passes so they could hang out by the Raptors' locker room after the game. Sean would not tell Drew about any of this until they were taken to their seats.

Sean arrived right at 5, and both Emma and Drew were ready.

"Oh hi," He smiled, "I wasn't expecting you to be ready on time." He winked at Emma.

"You know me so well."

"So I thought we could go to The Fox, which is right near the arena, and then head into the game."

Emma nodded, "Sounds good to me." She looked at Drew, "Sound good to you?"

Drew nodded.

Sean said, "Great!" They walked out of the house, Emma locked the door, and Sean escorted them to his truck.

Drew looked around and asked, "This is yours?"

Sean smiled, "Yep."

"Wow. Cool." Sean bought an old school Chevy Blazer from the early '90s and fixed it up.

Emma looked at Drew, "You can sit in the front with your dad."

"Yeah?"

"Sure. I'll sit in the back."

Drew smiled and said, "Okay!"

They all got into the truck, and Sean turned to his son, "Seatbelt."

"Yeah." Drew put it on. "This is so cool." He looked around at everything.

"Thanks." Sean started the ignition and asked, "So are we ready?"

Emma and Drew answered, "Yes," in unison, and Sean pulled out of his parking space.

* * *

When they walked into the restaurant, Sean felt proud to be with his son and the mother of his child.

They sat down in a booth, and Emma instinctively grabbed Sean's hand.

He looked at her, and she pulled it away. "Sorry, habit, I guess."

"It's fine." He grabbed her hand and rubbed it with his thumb. He looked at Drew, who was looking at the menu, and asked, "So how are the headphones?"

"They're awesome! Thanks again."

"You're welcome." Sean smiled at Emma.

"Sean? Emma?"

They both looked up at the sound of their names, and Liberty Van Zandt was standing next to their table.

Emma gasped, "Liberty! Oh my gosh!" She stood up and hugged her, "It's so good to see you!"

"Good to see you too."

Sean also stood up and hugged Liberty.

Liberty looked at Sean and said, "Sean, it's great to see you."

"You too, Liberty."

Emma held her hand out in Drew's direction, "This is Andrew. You haven't seen him in a while."

Drew said, "Hi."

Liberty looked at him, "Hi, Andrew." She turned to Sean and smiled, "Wow, he's the spitting image of you, Sean."

Sean smiled, "I know."

She asked, "So are you guys back together?"

Emma looked at Sean, who said, "We're getting to know each other again."

"Good. Invite me to the wedding."

Emma laughed, "What are you up to, Lib?"

"I'm a lawyer. So is my husband."

"Oh?"

Liberty nodded, "I deal with family adoption law." Emma smiled and Liberty continued, "We'll all have to go out to dinner sometime."

Sean agreed, "Definitely. That would be great."

"Okay, well, I won't keep you but let's exchange numbers, and we'll set something up."

Emma nodded, "Yes." She exchanged numbers with Liberty, and they hugged again.

Emma and Sean sat back down and Drew looked at them. "See? Everyone else thinks you two should get married." Sean smiled and Drew said, "So get married."

Emma shook her head then asked, "Do you know what you want for dinner?"

Drew nodded and said, "Yes, I want wings."

Sean laughed and said, "Good choice. Let's order enough for two."

Emma shook her head again.

Drew said, "Sorry, mom."

"Yeah, sorry, mom." Sean placed his hand on hers again. Emma smiled at him and leaned into his shoulder.

* * *

When they arrived at the arena, Sean headed to the will-call window.

"I'm just going to pick up the tickets. I'll be right back."

"Okay." Emma stood with Drew and watched Sean get the tickets.

Sean went up to the window, "The name is Sean Cameron." He took out his ID and showed it.

The girl at the window looked through her envelopes and smiled, "Here you go. Here are the tickets, and there are passes for you to wear around your neck."

"Great, thanks." Sean headed back over to Emma and Drew. "Ready?" They both nodded, "Let's go."

An usher walked them to their seats, and Drew's mouth dropped. Emma also looked around in shock. "Oh my God, Sean, this is incredible."

Sean smiled. "I have connections."

They sat down, Emma and Sean were on either side of Drew. Within seconds, Drew started smacking his mother's arm.

Emma laughed, "Andrew! What is the matter?"

"Drake is right there!"

Emma and Sean both looked across the court, and Drake was there with a friend. Emma laughed and said, "Don't point at him!"

Drew turned to Sean and said, "Dad, these seats are so cool."

Sean was taken aback by how easily that came out of Drew's mouth while Emma's eyes teared up.

Drew asked, "It's okay that I called you that, right?"

"Of course, buddy." Sean put his arm around his son, "Of course."

A few minutes later, Kyle Lowry walked over, "Sean!"

"Hey man," Sean stood up to greet him, and they shook hands, "Thanks for these seats. They're incredible."

"My pleasure. Anytime."

"Oh," Sean looked down at Drew, who was sitting with his mouth wide open, "This is my son, Andrew."

"Hey Andrew," Lowry extended his hand, Drew stood up and shook it, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Man, he's your clone."

Sean laughed, "Yeah, I know. And this is Emma, Drew's mom."

She held out her hand, "Hi."

"Hello," They shook hands, and he looked at Sean, "If you all come by after the game, we can get a bunch of autographs for you, Andrew."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Thank you!"

"Not a problem."

Lowry looked at Sean and said, "By the way, I may have a new client for you."

"Oh?" Sean looked at him, and Lowry motioned toward Drake. Sean was taken aback for the second time in a few minutes, "Are you serious?"

Lowry nodded, "He saw my whip and had to know who worked on it."

"Wow, I don't even know what to say."

"I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you get a call from him or his assistant. I didn't want you to think it was a prank or anything."

Sean nodded, "Sure."

Lowry looked back at the court, "Well, I gotta get ready for the game," He looked at Drew, "We'll try to win this one for you tonight."

Drew couldn't even say anything. He just nodded.

Sean smiled, "Thanks, man. We'll see you after the game."

"You got it."

Lowry walked away, and Drew was still standing there with his mouth agape. Sean looked at his son and asked, "You okay, buddy?"

Drew just started nodding.

Emma laughed, "Oh yeah, he's perfectly fine." Emma looked at Sean, "And you?"

Sean said, "I'm…" He shook his head, "I don't even know how I am." He looked across the court at Drake, then looked at Emma, "Doesn't Drake look a lot like Jimmy Brooks?"

Emma looked and nodded, "Oh my God, you're right!"

* * *

Emma moved over to sit next to Sean at halftime, and she held his hand, "Thank you for this."

"You're welcome."

"He's thrilled."

Sean looked at Drew, standing up and looking around the arena in awe, and smiled.

Emma said, "You made his life."

"Well, he's made my life."

Emma nodded. She looked at her son, then back at Sean, "I will make it up to you for the rest of my life. I promise."

"Are you saying you want to spend your life with me?"

Emma smiled, "We need to get to know each other again, but I love what I've seen so far. You've become an incredible man, Sean."

"Thank you." He kissed her hand and said, "That means a lot."

Drew looked at his parents and said, "God, would you two just kiss already?"  Sean and Emma laughed and Drew said,  "I'm serious. You obviously love each other so just kiss."

Emma looked at Drew, "You're 13, and the thought of your parents kissing should horrify you."

"This is different. You two haven't been together with my whole life."

Sean looked at Emma, "Shall we?"

She smiled, and they kissed. After a few moments, Drew said, "Okay, that's enough."

Sean and Emma stopped and laughed. Sean held Emma's face in his hands. "Yeah, I think we'll be just fine."

* * *

After the game, a Raptors win on a last-second buzzer-beating three, Sean, Emma, and Drew made their way to the tunnel and waited outside the locker room.

"Dad, I can't believe we're here right now."

Sean smiled.

Emma agreed, "Me either. And what a win. I've never seen a game like that before."

Sean said, "You did one time in Degrassi."

Emma smiled, "Oh right when Jimmy nearly broke your ankle."

Sean laughed.

Drew said, "Our team sucks this year."

Sean asked Drew, "Do you play any sports?"

"I tried out for basketball but didn't make the cut. I was one of the last ones cut."

"So you're pretty good."

Drew shrugged, "I'm okay. How long did you play?"

Sean said, "Two years."

"Cool."

Sean smiled and nodded, "Yeah, it was cool."

Emma added, "Your dad was also an outstanding wrestler."

"Really?"

Sean shrugged, "I was okay."

Emma scoffed, "Okay, Mr. City Champion."

"You were a champion?"

Sean smiled and looked at Emma, "My biggest cheerleader."

Kyle Lowry walked out of the locker room, "Hey, man."

Sean extended his hand, "What a game. Amazing."

"It was a good one, huh?"

Drew nodded.

Lowry held up a jersey that had a bunch of signatures. "This is for you, Andrew."

"What?" Drew looked at his parents then back at Lowry, "Really?"

"Yep."

"Wow, thank you!" Drew took the jersey and looked at it.

Sean shook Lowry's hand again, "Man, I don't know how to thank you."

"It's my pleasure. After what you did to my car?"

Sean smiled.

"Just so you know, Gasol may also stop in to your shop in a few weeks to see you."

Sean did a double-take, "Really?"

"I hope that's okay."

"That's more than okay. Hell, I'd work on the entire teams' cars if they want."

"We may just hold you to that."

After a few moments, Lowry left, and Drew was still staring at his jersey.

Emma put her arm around Drew and said, "Hey kiddo, are you ready to go home?"

He nodded.

Emma laughed, "Look at him. He can't stop looking at it."

Sean asked, "Can you blame him?"

"Honestly, no."


	8. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean and Emma's night continues...

By the time Sean pulled up to Emma's house, Drew had passed out in the back seat. The excitement of the night exhausted him.

Emma smiled at Sean, "Thank you for one of the best nights of his life."

"It was my pleasure."

"Do you want to come in? I have to get this one upstairs."

"Sure," He shut off his truck. "I can help you."

"Great," Emma turned around, "Drew, sweetie. Wake up." He groaned. "Come on, baby. We're home now, and you need to go to bed."

"Okay." He sat up with his eyes closed and his arms clutching his autographed jersey. Sean giggled at the sight of his son so groggy and out of it.

Emma and Sean got out of the truck and helped Andrew into the house.

When Drew got to the stairs, he said, "I got it from here."

Emma asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Goodnight mom. Goodnight, dad."

Sean smiled, "Goodnight, buddy."

They watched Drew walk up the stairs with his jersey, and Emma smiled.

Sean said, "This was a good night."

"Yes, it was." Emma looked at him, "It's not over."

"Oh?"

Emma nodded and took him by the hand. Sean raised his eyebrow and asked, "Where are you taking me?"

"The basement."

Sean looked at her, "Oh? What's down there?"

"Another bedroom."

"Ohhh." He looked relieved.

"Don't worry. It's not a sex dungeon." She smiled at him and said, "Not yet anyway."

Sean laughed. They walked down the stairs, and Sean looked around, "This is nice."

"It's definitely nicer than the last basement we made love in." Sean smiled at the reference. "I bought it this way so big thanks to the previous owner for watching lots of HGTV."

They walked through the finished basement toward the back of the house, where there was a bedroom with a sliding glass walkout to a concrete patio that had stairs that led to the backyard.

"Wow, this is really nice, Em."

"Thank you." Emma sat at the foot of the bed and took off her shoes. "And thanks again for tonight. Drew was in awe of everything."

"It was my pleasure. I can't believe how good the game was." He sat down next to her.

"I can't believe you're friends with Kyle Lowry."

Sean said, "I just fixed up his car."

"You did more than that."

Sean smiled.

"I should probably get a large frame for that jersey so Drew can display it in his room."

Sean said, "I can do that."

"You've done a lot already."

"I have nearly 14 years to catch up on." Emma nodded. "That wasn't a dig."

"I know." Emma laid back on the bed.

"You look tired. I probably should go."

He was about to stand up when Emma grabbed his arm, "Please don't go."

Sean turned, smiled, leaned down, and kissed her. Emma grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down, so he was on top of her.

A few moments later, Emma pulled away and said, "I want you to make love to me tonight, Sean."

Sean nodded, and they kissed again.

* * *

"That was nice."

"Yes, it was." Emma rested her head on Sean's chest.

"But I have a question."

"Oh?"

Sean looked down at her and asked, "How come you dim the lights when we make love? You did it at my place, and you did it here."

"I guess I'm self-conscious about my body."

"Self-conscious about your body?" Sean scoffed, "Em, your body is gorgeous."

"Not anymore. Not with the c-section scar and stretch marks."

"First of all, that stuff is barely noticeable, and secondly, you carried and gave birth to our child, which makes all that stuff beautiful."

"Beautiful?" This time it was Emma who scoffed. "It's not beautiful."

Sean looked at her and nodded, "Yes, it is."

Emma asked, "Why are you like this?"

Sean laughed and asked, "Like what?"

"Perfect."

"Emma, I am nowhere near perfect."

She sat up, "But you always know the right thing to say."

He shrugged, "I don't know. I say what comes to my mind. It's not like it's premeditated."

She smiled and kissed him.

"And I was serious. Everything about you is beautiful, so don't ever feel uncomfortable around me, okay?"

She nodded, "I'll try."

He kissed her and pulled away, "Good."

She asked, "Up for another round?"

Sean looked down, "Not yet, but I will be soon."

* * *

A little while later, Sean looked at Emma and said, "I should probably go soon."

Emma asked, "Why?"

"I don't want to shock Andrew. I know he seems to accept me, but this would probably be a lot for him to take in."

Emma nodded. "You're probably right."

"But I will say that I am thrilled right now."

Emma smiled at him and said, "I love you so much." She raised herself, so she was face to face with him. "I've always loved you." She kissed him and said, "And I loved you the night we conceived our son."

"I was thinking about that."

"Oh yeah?"

He nodded, "I remember being surprised that you wanted to be with me. But also being thrilled that you wanted to be with me." He continued, "I didn't think I'd make it back from Afghanistan alive." Emma caressed his face, "I figured it would be the last time I was ever with someone."

"If I hadn't gotten pregnant, I probably would have kept our night together a secret."

He rubbed her arm, "You must have been terrified when you found out."

"I was, but I also knew it was your baby."

"So you didn't sleep with that Damien guy?"

"I did, but only a couple of times and not that weekend."

Sean nodded.

"Then he cheated on me with Liberty during prom."

"What? Really?"

"Oh yes."

Sean was in shock. "Wait, you must tell me this story."

"Fine." Emma sat up against the headboard and made herself comfortable against the pillows. At the same time, Sean leaned on his elbow, looking up at her, "Apparently, Liberty and Damien had a flirtation going on. One I had no idea about. And while a bunch of us were swimming in the hotel pool after Prom, Liberty and Damien were hooking up."

"So, how did you find out?"

"Apparently, Liberty and Damien bragged to Toby. Toby was Liberty's date, so I guess she thought he'd keep it a secret. Instead, Toby announced it to everyone. Spinner, Jane, Jimmy,  _ everyone _ . It was really humiliating because apparently, I was the last to know. Even Manny knew."

"Ouch. I can't believe Liberty would do that to you."

"I guess I deserved it because I cheated on you with Damien. Then dumped you while you were away in basic training." She looked at him, "Wow, I was really horrible back then."

"Nah." He looked at her, "You were a teenager. We all do stupid things when we're young. I'm an expert on that, remember?"

"Anyway, I dumped Damien and salvaged my relationship with Liberty. Then I found out I was pregnant."

"That's a lot to deal with at one time."

"It was, but there was no doubt in my mind that I would keep the baby because it meant I'd always have a part of you with me." Sean smiled. "I really can't believe how much he looks like you."

"I was taken aback when I first saw him. I couldn't believe it." Sean looked at her, "So how is he, really?"

"He has some behavioral issues, but I think it's because he didn't know you. It's tough growing up without a dad." Sean nodded, "I really believe that you coming back into our lives will be really good for him. His grades were already improving. He got an 82 and an 83 on his latest algebra and history exams. So next time may be even better."

Sean smiled, "That's good to hear."

Emma nodded.

"I just don't want to overwhelm him and jump right into full-time parenting, so we'll take it slow."

"Okay."

"And we'll take this slow. Although it feels a little late for that now." Emma smiled. "But we need to get to know each other again."

Emma nodded. "Right."

He held her hand and said, "I want to take you out and spend time with you. And I also want to spend more time getting to know Drew."

Emma smiled.

Sean shook his head, "I still can't believe we have a son." Tears welled up in his eyes. "It's incredible."

Emma caressed his face and kissed him.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Sean got up out of bed, "Okay, I really need to go."

Emma looked up at him.

He grabbed his clothes and got dressed while Emma watched. When he found his shoes, he sat on the foot of the bed and put them on. Emma climbed over and hugged him from behind. Sean smiled and held her arms. He said, "Thank you for tonight."

"I should be thanking you."

"Oh yeah?"

Emma smiled and said, "You made our son's year."

Sean asked, "And how about you?"

"You made my life."

He turned his head and kissed her nose. He got up, then leaned down to kiss her one more time. When he pulled away, he said, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I can show myself out."

She smiled at him and said, "Okay."

"Goodnight, Em."

"Goodnight."

Emma watched as Sean walked out of the room and listened to him leave the house. She gathered the rest of her clothes, walked up the stairs from the basement to the house's main floor, and locked the front door.

* * *

Sean keyed into his apartment and got ready for bed. He didn't shower. He just brushed his teeth. He didn't want to wash Emma off him. Not yet. He'd wait until the morning.


	9. A Day In The Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean, Emma, and Drew do family things together.

At 11:30 am the next morning, Emma knocked on Drew's door. "Are you alive in there?" Drew didn't answer, so Emma opened the door, and she giggled at the sight of him still sleeping with the signed Raptors jersey across his chest. "Psssst, kiddo. It's time to wake up."

He groaned.

Emma started picking up around his room, which wasn't too messy for a teenage boy, "Drew, it's nearly noon. You need to get up."

"Ugh, fine."

Emma asked, "Do you want anything to eat?"

"I can grab some cereal or something."

"Okay."

Drew asked, "Is dad still here?"

"No, he went home."

"Oh."

Emma smiled and asked, "Why do you ask?"

He sat up and stretched, "I just assumed he would stay over."

Emma looked shocked, "Oh really."

"Mom, I know all about sex."

Emma laughed, "Oh you do, do you?"

"Yes. You had sex with him and made me."

Emma nodded, "Yes, that's true."

"And you love each other."

"Also true."

"So why can't you two just be together? I don't get it."

Emma sat down next to him and put her hand on Drew's. "It's because we want to take things slow. We need to get to know each other again. And your father wants to get to know you too. He doesn't want to overwhelm you."

Drew nodded.

"It's a lot for him. He still needs to forgive me for keeping you from him, and he has to get used to having a child."

"He doesn't forgive you?"

"Not completely. Because of me, he missed your entire childhood. He didn't get to see you take your first steps or hear you say your first word. He didn't see you off on your first day of school or take you to the ER when you got your first stitches."

Drew looked at his mom. "Wow, you really screwed up, mom."

Emma laughed, "I did."

"But he still loves you anyway."

Emma stood up. "Give me that jersey." Drew handed it over, "Your dad will get you a frame for this so you can display it."

"Oh, cool. Is he coming over today?"

"I don't know what he's doing today." She put the jersey on his dresser.

"Call him and find out."

Emma smiled, "Okay, I will." She walked over to his door, "Now get up."

* * *

Sean woke up early, went for a jog, and when he got back to his place, he finally took a shower. On Sundays, his shop was closed, and they were the days when he could decompress and forget about work. After his shower, he was ready to relax on his couch and watch mindless TV all day, then his phone buzzed. It was Emma, and Sean answered it right away.

"Hey. Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything's great."

"Good. What's going on?"

"Your son wants you to come over."

"He does?"

"Yes, it was one of his first questions this morning. After he asked if you slept over."

Sean laughed, "He really asked about that?"

"Yes. Drew informed me that he knows all about sex and how it wouldn't bother him if we had sex again."

"Oh my God." Sean shook his head.

Emma laughed, "Yeah, he's quite a kid."

"I love it." Sean stood up, "I can come over."

"I'd love that. So would our son." Emma added, "Sunday is our hanging around the house day, so it's really casual."

"Sounds good to me. Would you want me to bring some lunch?"

"Sure, that would be great."

Sean asked, "How about some Chinese food? Does Drew eat it?"

"He does. Nothing too complicated. Just get him lo mein noodles with no meat."

"Okay, and what would you like?"

"Just get me Chinese vegetables with rice. Oh, and some vegetable dumplings."

"Fried or steamed?"

"Let's be bad and do fried."

Sean smiled, "You got it. Do you want any drinks?"

"We have plenty here."

"Great. So I'll see you soon."

"Perfect. Bye."

Sean hung up and breathed a sigh of relief.

Emma walked upstairs and peeked her head into Drew's room, "Hey, kiddo. Your dad is bringing over some lunch."

Drew turned toward her in his desk chair and said, "Oh yeah? It's a good thing I didn't bother eating breakfast." He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"He will be here in a little while, so get dressed, please, and come downstairs."

"Okay."

* * *

About half an hour later, the doorbell rang, and Emma walked down the stairs to answer it. She opened the door expecting Sean, but it was her parents.

They both said, "Surprise!"

Emma smiled and said, "Hey! What are you guys doing here?"

Christine said, "We brought you lunch."

"Oh," She let them in, "That's funny. We were already having lunch brought over."

Christine looked puzzled, "Oh yeah?"

Emma nodded, "Sean's on his way."

Archie looked at her, "Sean? Cameron?"

Emma nodded again, "Yes, Andrew's father."

"He's back?"

"He's been back."

Christine made a face, and Archie asked, "You knew?"

"I've only known for like a week or two."

Emma looked at Archie, "We're getting to know each other again, and he's getting to know Drew."

"And?"

"So far, so good."

Archie smiled, "Good."

Emma waved them in, "Well, come on in. The more, the merrier."

Archie asked, "What's Sean bringing over?"

"Some Chinese food."

Christine held up her bag of food, "So did we."

Emma smiled and walked her into the kitchen. Archie hung up their coats and followed them.

Just then, Drew came jogging down the stairs and asked, "Is dad here yet?" Archie turned to him, and Drew said, "Oh, it's just you guys."

Christine laughed at her grandson and said, "Don't get too excited, Andrew."

"Sorry. I was just expecting my dad."

Emma said, "Don't worry. He's on his way." Right on cue, the doorbell rang. "See? There he is now."

Drew yelled out, "I'll get it!" He walked over to the door, opened it, and Sean was standing there with two bags.

"Hey, buddy."

"Come in!" Drew let his father into the house and shut the door.

Sean walked in and smiled when he saw Archie and Christine. He set the bags down on the floor and said, "It's good to see you."

"Hey there, Sean." Archie walked over and shook his hand.

Christine walked up to him and hugged him, "It's so good to see you, Sean." She pulled away and grabbed his face, "You're as handsome as ever."

Sean laughed, "It's good to see you too."

Emma looked at Sean, "Mom and dad surprised us with Chinese food of all things."

"That's great." He picked up his bags and said, "I'm down for eating as much Chinese food as possible today."

Archie patted him on the back as they walked toward the kitchen.

"Hey grandpa, I have to show you something!"

Drew ran upstairs, and Archie looked at Sean and Emma, "This is a good something, yes?"

Emma smiled, "It's an outstanding something."

After a few moments, Drew ran back down the stairs and over to his grandpa. "Look!"

Archie looked shocked, "Wow!" He inspected the jersey, "Did they all sign this?"

"Yep! Kyle Lowry gave it to me!"

"This is amazing. How did this happen?"

Emma stood next to Sean and said, "This one fixed Lowry's car."

"Actually, I customized it for him, and he liked it so much that he got us great seats last night."

"Grandpa, we were on the court and saw Drake and dad's going to fix up Drake's car too!"

"Well," Sean said, "I was told that he saw Lowry's car and is thinking about calling me."

Archie smiled, "That must have been an incredible night."

Drew said, "It was! And after the game, we were waiting outside the locker room, and then Lowry walked outside with the jersey!"

Sean nodded, "I will go out this week and get a big frame so Drew can hang it in his room."

"Forget my room. I want it in the living room."

Emma laughed, "I don't know about that, kiddo."

"Oh, come on!"

"We'll discuss it."

"Fine."

Emma put a bunch of plates and forks on the kitchen table for everyone to use. "Well, help yourselves, everyone."

Once everyone got their food, they sat in the living room. Sean and Emma sat next to each other on the couch, Drew was on the floor by Sean's legs, and Archie and Christine sat on the loveseat together.

Christine looked at Sean and Emma, "So, Sean, it must have been strange for you to see Drew. He's your clone."

"It was. I'm just glad he has his mom's height and not mine."

Emma laughed, "Oh, stop. You act like you're tiny, and you're not."

Sean bumped his shoulder into hers.

Drew looked at his parents then asked, "Grandpa, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, kiddo. What's up?"

"If two people love each other, shouldn't they be together?"

Archie looked at Sean and Emma and then at Drew. "Usually, yes."

"Because it's obvious mom and dad love each other, so they should be together."

Emma shook her head, and Sean laughed.

Archie said, "Well, I think your mom and dad definitely love each other, and they always have. I also think they will probably end up together eventually, but they need to take their time."

Drew rolled his eyes and said, "Fine."

Archie laughed and looked at Sean, "It really is uncanny."

Sean laughed, "I know."

* * *

After they finished lunch, Drew asked, "Can I go upstairs now?"

Emma nodded, "Yes, you can." Drew was about to run upstairs when Emma stopped him, "Excuse me, young man. Shouldn't you be thanking your dad and grandparents for lunch?"

Drew looked at everyone and said, "Thanks for lunch." Then he asked, "Can I go now?"

"Yes."

Drew jogged upstairs, and Sean shook his head, "Okay, it really is like looking in a mirror."

Emma laughed and leaned against him.

Christine looked at them and said, "It's clear you love each other. You always have."

Emma nodded, "We do." She looked at Sean, "But I did a terrible thing, and I have to earn Sean's forgiveness." Sean grabbed her hand and kissed it. "And I have to make up for what I did."

"Look, I'm here now, and I'm getting to know my son." He kept a grip on Emma's hand, "Em and I want to be together, but we don't want to rush things. We want to get to know each other again. There's a big difference between being teenagers and being in our 30s."

"Well, if you need me to stay here with Drew while you two go out and get to know each other again, let me know."

Emma smiled, "I'll probably take you up on that offer, mom."

"Please do."

* * *

When Archie and Christine left, Sean and Emma stayed on the couch together.

"Today was nice."

Emma nodded, "It was."

Sean laced his fingers with Emma's and leaned his head against hers. "I forgive you."

She turned and looked at him, "You do?"

He nodded. "Why hold on to anger and resentment? I want to get to know our son, I want to get to know you again, and I would love for us to be a family."

She grabbed his face and kissed him. After a few moments, they pulled away, smiling. Emma said, "You are amazing."

"At kissing?" Sean smiled.

"You were always good at that. But I mean just as a person. You really grew up."

"I had to. The Army beat the smartass punky kid out of me." Emma caressed his face. "In the long run, it was good for me." Emma nodded. "And I wouldn't have my business without it."

"I'm really so proud of you."

"Thank you. That means a lot."

Emma asked, 'Wanna watch some TV?"

"Not really."

"Oh," She smiled and asked, "Wanna make out?"

"Now you're talking."

Emma laughed.

"Should we go downstairs?"

Emma pulled on the collar of his shirt and said, "If we go down there, we will definitely do more than make out."

Sean raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, better not with the kid upstairs still awake."

They made out for close to 20 minutes before they were interrupted by Drew making his way downstairs. They pulled away in time but looked disheveled, and Drew smiled. "What were you doing?"

Emma shook her head, "We were just watching TV."

Drew looked at the TV and looked at them, "Oh yeah? Why isn't the TV on?"

Emma couldn't come up with an answer.

Drew walked toward the kitchen, "I just needed a drink."

"Did you finish all of your homework for tomorrow?"

"Yes, I did."

Emma looked at him, "So if I check it in a few minutes, it will be done?"

Drew stopped walking and nodded, "Yes."

Emma narrowed her eyes at her son. "Okay, I'll be up in a few minutes to check."

"Fine." Drew walked into the kitchen to get his drink, and Sean giggled at his son.

"He's too much like me."

Drew walked back over to them and asked, "Why can't dad check my homework?"

"Because your dad doesn't have the same checklist that I have."

"Fine." He walked towards the stairs and said, "You guys can make out again." And jogged upstairs.

Emma shook her head.

"So he has issues with his homework."

Emma nodded, "And with getting detention."

"Oh boy. Sounds familiar."

"He's really not a bad kid. He was angry, but I think you being here will help a lot."

"Good."

"So if you want to come upstairs with me, you can."

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, he wanted you to check it too." Emma stood up and held out her hand.

"Okay." Sean stood up and grabbed her hand.

They walked upstairs, and Emma knocked on Drew's door. "Can we come in, kiddo?"

"Yeah."

Emma opened the door, and Drew was sitting at his desk. She walked over, and he opened his binder. Sean stayed by the door.

"Dad, you can come in too."

Sean nodded, "Okay." He stepped into the room and walked over to Drew's desk.

Emma looked through everything. "Looks good."

"Yeah?"

She nodded, "I'm proud of you. You're turning things around."

"Thanks."

"Really. Nice job. Grandpa will also be proud of you."

Drew started blushing. "Okay, okay." Emma rubbed his hair and messed it up. "Mom!"

Sean laughed. "I don't like people messing with my hair either."

"The universe blessed both of you with fantastic heads of hair." Emma reached for Sean's head, and he ducked.

"Watch it."

Drew asked, "Dad, are you going to stay for dinner too?"

"Um, we hadn't talked about it, but I will if you want me to."

"Can he, mom?"

Emma looked at Sean and said, "Of course he can."

Sean smiled at Emma, and she tried to mess up his hair again. This time Sean grabbed her wrist, "Are you sure you really want to do that?"

Emma squealed, "I'm sorry."

"Are you really sorry?" She nodded and laughed. Sean let go of her. "Let's leave our son alone. He doesn't want his lame parents in his room."

Drew laughed.

Emma said, "Fine. Any idea what you want for dinner?"

"Can we do pizza?"

"After all that Chinese food, you want pizza?"

"I'm a growing boy."

Emma looked at Sean and smiled.

Sean answered, "Pizza sounds good to me."

Drew smiled and said, "Cool, thanks."

Sean asked, "Do you want anything on it?"

"With mom having pizza too? Just extra cheese, otherwise there will be too many vegetables on it." Drew shook his head and pretended to gag.

Sean laughed, "Okay."

Emma and Sean walked back downstairs, and Emma flopped onto the couch. Sean walked into the kitchen, "You want anything to drink?"

"I'm okay. Thanks."

Sean grabbed some water and sat next to Emma on the couch.

"He really likes you."

"Well, I'm not the disciplinarian yet. He'll dislike me when that happens."

Emma smiled.


	10. Can't Stay Away From You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their day together as a family continues, Sean learns more about his son and Emma can't stay away from Sean.

Emma shouted up the stairs, "Andrew! Dinner's here!"

"Okay!"

Sean set the table and put the pizza in the middle. "How's this look?"

"Perfect," Emma smiled at him and kissed his nose.

Drew hopped down the stairs and jogged into the kitchen.

"Sweetie, what do you want to drink?"

Drew asked, "Are you talking to dad or me?"

Emma laughed, "Very funny."

"You guys don't call each other sweetie?"

Sean looked at Emma, "Didn't we call each other babe?"

"That sounds right, babe." Emma winked at him then looked at Drew, "Drink?"

"Water, thanks."

Emma asked with a smile, "How about you, babe?"

Sean laughed, "I'm fine, thanks."

Emma brought a pitcher of water to the table and sat down.

"Thanks for dinner, dad."

"You're welcome."

"So when are you moving in here?" Sean laughed and Drew said, "I'm not kidding."

"Well, I just applied to buy a new place so…"

"But it can fall through, right?"

Sean and Emma shared a look.

"Come on, don't treat me like I'm a kid. I'm almost 14."

Sean looked at Drew, "Okay, well, it's only been a few weeks and I have to get used to having a child. You also have to get used to having a father in your life. This is a big deal and we still have to get to know each other better."

Drew nodded, "So I can stay with you at your place. We can bond and do father/son things."

"I would love to do that. Maybe you can hang out with me at the shop and watch me work."

"Yes! Exactly!" Drew smiled, "It could be great!"

Sean looked at Emma and then at Drew and said, "How about this? You keep getting good grades in school, keep doing your homework, keep not getting detention," He narrowed his eyes at his son then said, "And you can come to work with me one Saturday."

Drew nodded, "Okay."

Sean smiled and said, "Perfect."

* * *

Sean stayed with Emma and Drew until 9 pm.

"I have to go. I have an early day at the shop tomorrow."

Emma looked at him, "Oh?"

Sean nodded, "Mondays are my day to catch up on paperwork before the crew shows up."

"I see." She kissed him softly and pulled away, "Thank you for today. It was nice."

Sean smiled, "It was."

She asked, "Do you want to go up and say goodnight?"

"Sure. I'll be right back." Sean climbed the stairs and knocked on Drew's door. "Can I come in?"

Drew answered, "Yep."

Sean opened the door and smiled at his son.

Drew was at his desk, on his computer. "Are you going home?"

"Yeah, I start my day early on Mondays."

"Okay." Drew stood up, "Thanks for lunch and dinner."

"You're welcome."

Drew walked over to Sean and hugged him. Sean hugged him and pat Drew's back. "Goodnight, dad."

"Goodnight, kiddo." Sean smiled at his son and walked out of the room. By the time he got down the stairs, he was wiping tears from his eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Emma looked concerned.

Sean nodded, "Yeah, everything's great." He smiled at her and said, "He hugged me with no coaxing."

Emma smiled, "He did?"

Sean nodded, and Emma hugged him. He said, "I guess he likes me."

Emma pulled away and nodded, "Yep. He does."

"Good, because I like him too."

Emma smiled. She handed him his coat, and he put it on.

He looked at her and said, "Okay, I really have to go."

She nodded, "Okay."

He smiled and said, "Okay."

Emma laughed and kissed him quickly, "Go!" She opened the front door and Sean stepped outside.

"Bye."

"Bye." She watched Sean as he got into his truck and pulled away. She closed and locked the door, then sighed, but it was a content sigh. She was happy that the weekend went so well. She smiled, shut off the front porch light and walked upstairs.

* * *

Sean got home, hung up his coat and walked into his living area. He looked around at his apartment and said, "Why am I moving into a big place alone? This is so stupid."

He immediately emailed Miriam and pulled out of the bidding for the new apartment.

Emma was getting ready for bed when her phone buzzed. It was Sean.

She answered smiling, "Hello..."

"Hi."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yep. I just wanted to let you know that I've pulled out of the bidding for that apartment."

She smiled, "Really?"

"Yes. It seems silly to spend money on a place I may not need."

"So you'll stay put for now?"

"Yeah, this place isn't so bad."

"It isn't. I like it a lot." Sean laughed. Emma continued and said, "Well, that's good news."

"This has been quite a month."

Emma climbed into bed, "It certainly has been."

"I'd just like to say once again how much I enjoyed today. He's an amazing kid."

"It was a good day, wasn't it?"

Sean smiled and said, "The whole weekend was good."

"It was and Drew seems to like you a lot which is such a relief. Not that I'm surprised because you can charm anyone."

Sean laughed and said, "I don't know about that."

"You've done so much in just a few weeks. He's definitely charmed by you."

"He's charmed me too."

"Even with that attitude he can get?"

"Eh, he's a teenager." He continued, "But it really is as if I'm watching myself at 13. It's so odd."

"You must have really been floored when you first saw him."

"Yeah, I admit, I followed you from work. I had gone to the office to see Miriam and I don't know why, but something was telling me to follow you, so I did. I'm sorry I did that, but I felt like you were keeping something from me. Little did I know."

"Again, I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you."

Sean smiled and said, "Thanks. Well, I better go. I have to wake up early tomorrow and I still have things to do before I go to bed."

"Okay, well goodnight."

"Goodnight, Em. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye." Emma ended the call and took a deep breath.

* * *

The next morning, Emma got a call at her office from Archie.

"Emma Nelson."

"Hello Emma Nelson, it's Archie Simpson."

"Oh no. What now?"

Archie laughed, "Nothing. It's all good news."

"Oh, thank goodness."

"I'm getting good reports from all of Drew's teachers today. Perino said that Drew was actually participating in class."

"I'm sorry, did you say that my petulant teenage son who hates school was taking part in history class?"

"Apparently."

Emma sat back in her chair, "Wow, I can't believe it."

"Maybe Sean's reappearance was the best thing to happen for your son."

"Well, it's only been a few weeks. Even Sean thinks the honeymoon period will abruptly end when he has to put on his disciplinarian hat."

"More than likely, yes, but for now, your son's behavior has improved a lot."

Emma smiled, "Good. Anything else going on?"

"Nope."

"Okay, well, I'll let you get back to running Degrassi. I need to head out on an appointment."

"Sounds good, kiddo."

"Bye."

* * *

Emma called Sean at work from her car. She wanted to tell him what a good influence he's being on his son.

Sean was walking around the shop when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, smiled and said to his mechanic Pete, "I have to take this. I'll be right back." He jogged into his office and closed the door. "Emma? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything's good. That's why I'm calling."

"Oh?"

"I get daily reports on Drew because, well, because of his issues. And I got a great report from Perino."

"Perino is still at Degrassi?"

Emma laughed, "Yes. I can't believe it either. Perino said Drew was actually participating in class today."

"I'm assuming he's like me and forced to participate?"

"Yes!" Emma smiled, "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that."

"I appreciate you telling me and involving me."

"You're welcome." Emma parked her car, "Okay, I just made it to a house I'm showing so I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure."

"Bye."

"Bye, Em."

Emma hung up and smiled. Sean hung up and grabbed his coat. He needed to leave the shop.

* * *

"Hey Sean," Archie looked puzzled, "What brings you to Degrassi?"

"Emma was telling me about Drew's issues and how he's been improving lately."

"Yep. Did she tell you today's good news?"

"Yes, and I cannot believe Perino is still here."

Archie laughed, "Yeah well, Degrassi is that kind of place."

"Guess so."

"Here," He held out his arm and motioned toward his office, "Come on in."

"Thanks."

They sat down, and Archie looked at Sean.

Sean said, "This must be weird for you."

Archie asked, "What?"

"Me being back in your life."

"To be honest, I always assumed it would happen even if Emma never had Drew. You two have this connection that cannot be broken."

Sean nodded, "That's true."

"I've also been meaning to tell you I'm happy you made it back from Afghanistan in one piece."

"Yeah, well, therapy helps."

"PTSD?"

Sean nodded, "Yep."

"I'm sorry."

Sean shrugged, "Hey, I made it back with all my limbs intact. It's just my brain that needs a little help from time-to-time." He continued, "I have to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Did you try to reason with Emma, you know, about letting me know about Drew?"

Archie nodded. "Yes, many times, but we didn't think it was our place to tell you. Believe me, I wanted to tell you. But she probably wouldn't have forgiven me."

Sean nodded and said, "Well, I'm glad I have this chance now."

"So am I." Archie handed him some papers, "Here are some reports from Drew's other teachers. You'll see an improvement. Marco Del Rossi is Drew's English teacher."

"Yeah, Em told me." He thumbed through the sheets and read each passage.

"He said that Drew volunteered to read a passage in class this morning."

Sean smiled and said, "I'm assuming that rarely happens."

"Nope. Drew is like you." Archie smiled, "Exactly like you."

He looked up at Archie and said, "Which is why it's a good thing I'm in his life now. I can steer him away from following the same path I went down."

Archie nodded.

* * *

Later that day, when Sean got home from work, he went straight into his bathroom. He needed to wash the grease and grime off his body. It was one of those afternoons when he actually had to help around the shop. Other days he could stay in his office or just supervise the mechanics' work.

As he was about to step into the shower, his buzzer rang. He wasn't expecting anyone, but answered the intercom anyway.

"Yeah?"

"Sean, it's me."

"Em?"

"Yes, can I come up?"

"Of course." He buzzed her in and waited for her. Then he quickly realized he was naked with just a towel on and scrambled around his room to find something to put on. The doorbell rang, and he answered the door in his robe. "Hey."

"I'm so sorry to barge in like this."

"No worries. Come on in. Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything's fine." Emma walked into his entryway then took a good look at him, "Were you showering?"

"I was just about to. It was a busy day at the shop and I actually worked a lot so I feel grimy." He looked at her, "Can you give me like five minutes?"

"Not a problem. I can wait."

"Great," He walked into his bathroom then peeked his head out, "Oh and help yourself to anything in the fridge."

Emma nodded and smiled.

Sean jumped into the shower and faced the showerhead. He let the stream of water hit his face and hair first. He immediately felt better. Then he turned around to let the stream hit his back and neck. He rolled his head around a few times, ran his hands through his hair, then opened his eyes to reach for his soap. That's when Emma startled him.

"Jesus, Em. You scared me."

She smiled, "Sorry."

Sean looked her up and down, "Were you feeling gross and grimy like me?"

She shook her head, "Not really, but I couldn't stay out there knowing that you were naked in here."

Sean smiled, "We shouldn't be doing this."

"Why not? You love me, I love you, we're both extremely attracted to each other, and we're pretty good at this, so why not?"

Sean couldn't think of a reason and nodded in agreement. "That's mostly true."

Emma asked, "Mostly true?"

Sean nodded, "You love me, I love you and we're both extremely attracted to each other but I would say that we're really good at this."

Emma smiled and grabbed Sean's soap. "Let me clean you up."

"Oh?"

She nodded and started cleaning Sean's chest and shoulders. "You're still in fantastic shape, Cameron."

"Yeah, well, the Army kind of drilled it into me."

Her hands wandered down, and Sean's abs quivered. "Ticklish?"

"No, just sensitive."

Emma grinned, "Interesting." She brought her hands back up to his shoulders and neck. "Turn around so I can wash your back."

Sean said nothing, he just did what he was told.

Emma soaped up her hands again and cleaned Sean's back. When she got to his lower back, she reached around and before she could touch him, Sean grabbed her hands.

He asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning you, silly. Now let me finish."

He turned around, "Only if I get to clean you too."

She handed him his soap, "Of course."

Sean grinned as he soaped up his hands. "You know we will probably need another shower later."

Emma smiled and said, "I hope so."

* * *

"That was…"

Emma smiled, "Mind-blowingly fantastic?"

Sean laughed and agreed, "God, yes."

Emma smiled and said, "I'm glad I came over."

"So am I." He looked at her, "Why did you come over? It wasn't just for sex, right?"

"Not exactly. But I was hoping it would happen."

"Oh?" He sat up and Emma joined him. She pulled his blanket up and underneath her armpits.

"I can't help wanting you, Sean. I've missed you. A lot."

He smiled and said, "So we're making up for lost time?"

"Yes?"

"Okay, well, in that case, are you ready for another round?"

"Are you?"

He peeked under the covers and said, "I'm getting there."

Emma smiled and kissed him.

* * *

"I should get home. I told my mom I'd be back by 8." Emma got dressed as Sean watched her.

Sean grabbed his phone, looked at the time and said, "Oops." It was nearly 9 p.m. "What did you tell her you were doing?"

"Showing a place to someone who couldn't take time off from work to see it."

"Sneaky, I like it."

"Well, she'll know from my face when I walk in where I really was. She figured it out last time."

Sean shook his head.

"She wasn't angry or anything. She said she wasn't surprised."

He smiled, "I would like to take you out on a proper date. Maybe dinner and a movie. Or dinner and drinks. Or maybe you could even come here for dinner."

"I'd love that." Emma sat next to him on the bed and put on her shoes. When she finished, she turned to Sean. "I had a lot of fun."

"So did I." He leaned forward and kissed her, then smiled, "I'm glad you stopped by." Emma smiled and stood up. Sean got up and grabbed a pair of shorts. "Can't exactly walk you to the door naked."

"Well, you could, but that might be uncomfortable for you."

They kissed one more time before Emma left.

She smiled at him and said, "I love you."

"I love you."

"Bye."

Sean watched Emma walk down the hall and step into the elevator. She waved at him, and he smiled.


	11. Time Stands Still Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drew discovers some things about his parents.

"So, how did it go with your client?"

"Hmm?" Emma looked at her mom in a daze.

"You went to see Sean again, didn't you?"

Emma couldn't lie. "Sorry."

Christine chuckled, "Why are you sorry? I get it."

"You do?"

"Em, you love each other. You haven't seen each other in years. And it's Sean."

Emma laughed, "What does  _ that _ mean?"

"I have functioning eyes, Emma. He's still adorable. How can you resist him?"

"I can't, clearly." She sat down on the couch and took off her shoes, "You should have seen my face when I realized he was the client I had to show an apartment."

"Did your heart race?"

She nodded, "I nearly fainted, then I nearly tripped in front of him."

"Did you get butterflies?"

Emma smiled, "Yep. It felt like I was 12 again."

"You know he's the one, right?" Emma nodded. "Does he know?"

She smiled and said, "I think he does."

"Good." Christine stood up, "Drew did his homework and ate some dinner, so I let him go up to his room to play video games."

"Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome."

Christine left, and Emma put her feet up on the coffee table. She nearly nodded off until Drew called out to her.

"Mom?"

She opened her eyes, "Yes, sweetie. I'm home."

Drew jogged down the stairs, "Hey."

She sat up and smiled, "Hey there, kiddo. How was your day?"

"Okay." He sat next to her on the couch. "You look tired."

Emma laughed, "Thank you for noticing."

"Did you talk to dad today?"

"Yes, I did."

"And how is he?"

"He's fine. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"You really like him, don't you?"

Drew smiled, "He's pretty cool."

Emma nodded and smiled, "He is pretty cool."

Drew asked, "Do you think he can come over for dinner tomorrow?"

"Drew, your father owns his own business, and he's usually busy during the week. I think our best bet is the weekend."

"Okay." He rolled his eyes, got up, and walked toward the kitchen. Emma couldn't help but giggle.

* * *

Later that night, after getting ready for bed, Emma called Sean.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Your son was asking about you, and he wants you to come over for dinner tomorrow."

Sean smiled and said, "I can do that. Not a problem."

"Are you sure? I know you're busy during the week."

"It's fine. I'd like to come over for dinner."

Emma said, "Oh good. He'll be happy."

Sean asked, "And how about you? Will you be happy?"

Emma smiled, "Yes."

"Good. What time should I come over?"

"Can you make it by 6?"

"Maybe more like 6:15."

"Perfect. So we'll see you then."

"Okay. Do you need me to bring anything?"

Emma said, "Nope, just yourself."

"Great. So I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Em."

Sean put his phone down and turned off his light. Emma put her phone on her nightstand and pulled her covers up to her chin.

* * *

"Your father is coming over for dinner tonight."

Drew smiled, "He is?"

Emma nodded, "Yep. So be good today. No detention." Drew rolled his eyes. "And don't roll your eyes at me."

He turned to his mother, "Mom, you don't have to tell me to be good anymore."

"Oh really?"

Drew nodded. "I want to see dad work. You heard what he said."

"I did." 

"If I want to go with him to work, I have to behave. So I will behave."

Emma smiled and said, "Good." She  unlocked the door and said, "Well, have a good day at school."

"Thanks. Are you picking me up?"

"Yep, I'll be here at 4:15."

"Okay. Bye." Drew opened the door and got out of the car.

"Bye, kiddo." Emma watched her son walk up the stairs to Degrassi, and she pulled away from the curb. She had three showings in the morning alone and needed to get her paperwork ready.

* * *

"Hey Nelson," Drew was at a standing desk in the Degrassi library when his friend Oliver got his attention, "Did you ever read about the shooting here?"

Drew looked at his friend and shook his head.

"Check this out. It happened back in 2004."

Drew walked over to the computer Oliver was using and saw old newspaper covers.

"Whoa!" Oliver pointed at Sean, "Drew, this guy looks just like you!"

Drew looked at newspaper cover after newspaper cover of his dad being called a hero.

Oliver pulled up another article, "Wait, is that your mom?"

Drew studied the picture of Emma and said, "Yeah, let me read this."

Oliver read along with him and said, "Dude, that guy saved your mom's life."

"Wow, I had no idea about any of this." Drew couldn't believe it. "Keep that there." He walked over to his backpack, "I want to print some of these out."

Oliver kept reading the article, "His name is Sean Cameron, and he wrestled for the gun after that dude Rick pointed it at your mom. That's so badass. He saved your mom's life."

The bell rang, and Oliver nearly clicked away from the article but Drew stopped him, "Drew, we gotta go to History."

Drew kept his eyes on the screen, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay, but don't blame me if you get in trouble with Perino."

Oliver left, and Drew continued to print out every article he could find about his mom and dad. He put them all into a folder and put the folder into his backpack. He made it to Perino's class with two seconds to spare before the bell rang.

* * *

That afternoon, Emma showed two houses and one apartment. She got some contracts together, filed some paperwork, and still made it to Degrassi by 4:15 to pick up Drew.

He was sitting on the stairs waiting for her when she pulled up, and he was so engrossed reading the articles about his dad he didn't even see or hear Emma pull up in her car.

Emma rolled down the window, "Pssst, Andrew."

Drew looked up and shut the folder. He shoved it in his bag, got up, and walked over to the car. He got in and looked at his mom.

Emma asked, "Is everything okay?" He nodded, then leaned over and hugged her tight. Emma asked, "Andrew? Are you feeling all right?"

He pulled away and nodded. "I'm fine. So you said dad is coming over tonight, right?"

"Yep. I'm stopping off at the market first, if that's okay. I need to pick up some stuff for dinner."

"Yeah, no problem."

"Great." Emma was about to pull away from the curb when she looked at her son and asked, "Are you sure you're all right?"

Drew nodded and smiled, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Okay."

* * *

Sean finished up at work and went to his apartment to shower and change. He was happy to get to know his son and get to know Emma again, but he wished he didn't live way across town.

Sean got to Emma's at 6:20 and rang the doorbell. She was still cooking, so she asked Andrew to answer the door.

Drew smiled at his dad and let him in.

"Hey, buddy. How was school?"

"It was enlightening."

Sean raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah?"

"Yep."

After he hung up his coat, Sean walked toward the kitchen, and when he walked in, he greeted Emma with a kiss on the cheek. "Hello."

"Hi. How was work today?"

"It was hectic, but it was a good hectic. And you?"

"The same, actually. I got a lot done."

"That's good." Sean sat down at the kitchen table, "Drew tells me that school was enlightening today."

Emma turned around and looked at Drew, "Enlightening? How?"

"Be right back." He walked to the stairs and jogged upstairs.

Emma walked over to the table and put her hand on Sean's shoulder. "He's been acting strange since I picked him up from school."

He put his arm around her waist and said, "Guess we'll find out why."

Drew went up to his room, got the folder full of articles, walked back down the stairs, and walked into the kitchen.

"So," Emma sat down, "What was so enlightening about school, Drew?"

Drew placed the folder in front of them, "Open it."

Sean looked at Emma, then at the folder, and opened it up. "Oh, wow."

Emma asked, "Drew, sweetie, where did you get all this?"

"I printed it out at the school library."

Sean thumbed through the articles. "I haven't seen these since it happened."

"Dad, you saved mom's life."

Sean shrugged, "I just did what anyone else would have done."

Emma looked at him, "No, you didn't."

Sean examined the pictures of himself and said, "No, I didn't."

"Mom, why didn't you ever tell me about this?"

Emma got up and walked back over to the stove, "I don't know. It wasn't such a great time for any of us, and most of us wanted to forget about it."

"Dad, you're a hero."

Sean wiped a tear from his eye and stood up, "Can you both excuse me a second?"

Emma looked at him, "Are you okay?"

Sean nodded, "I just need some air." He walked to the back door, opened it, and stepped onto the back porch.

"Did I upset him, mom? I didn't mean to."

Emma walked over to Drew, "It's okay, sweetie."

Sean leaned on the railing of Emma's back porch and began an exercise his therapist had taught him. He was told to do it when he felt like he would panic or get upset. After a few minutes, he calmed down and walked back inside.

"Dad, I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay, buddy."

"Are you sure?"

Sean nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. Come here." Drew walked over to his dad, and Sean asked, "Can I hug you?"

Drew nodded and opened his arms for his father.

"Thank you." Sean held onto his son and looked at Emma. "That must have been pretty jarring for you." He pulled away, "To see those pictures and read the articles."

"It was, but I was also so proud of you, and I'm proud to be your son."

Tears welled up in Emma's eyes, and Sean smiled.

"And I really look just like you." Sean and Emma laughed. "Oliver was like, 'Dude, this guy looks just like you!'

Sean asked, "Have you told him who I am yet?"

"Not yet. Oliver's not too swift. He'll figure it out on his own in a few days."

Sean laughed.

"I'm serious. And it will probably hit him at a terrible time like in the middle of Perino's class or something."

Sean laughed again.

"Okay, boys, dinner is ready, so sit down."

Sean closed the folder and handed it back to Drew, who placed it on the empty chair next to him.

"So what you said about loving mom all this time was true. I mean, you stepped in front of a gun for her."

Sean sat back down and said, "Yes."

"Wait, what's this?" Emma put dinner on the table, then sat down next to Sean. "You were talking about loving me?"

"Drew asked me when I fell in love with you. I told him grade 7."

Emma raised an eyebrow and said, "And you still loved me when you were with Amy and Ellie?"

"You were always in here." He pointed at his chest.

"Who are Amy and Ellie?"

Sean shook his head, "That's a long story that we'll save for another day."

"Fine."

Emma smiled, "Grade 7, huh?"

Sean nodded, "Book report day in Kwan's class."

That shocked Drew, and he asked, "Ms. Kwan was there all those years ago too?"

Sean laughed and asked, "Do any teachers ever leave Degrassi?"

Emma shook her head. "Not really."

Drew asked his father, "So what happened on book report day?"

Emma made a face, "Um, something happened to me."

Drew looked puzzled.

Sean said, "Let's just say your mom became a woman that day."

Drew still looked puzzled, then realized what they were talking about. He said, "Oh, ew."

Emma scoffed, "Why are you saying ew? You don't have to worry about ever having one."

Sean laughed and continued, "Anyway, she stood up to someone who was teasing her about it, and I realized how special she was. I mean, I always kind of dug your mom because she was so outspoken, but that day sealed it for me."

Emma smiled, "You're sweet."

He held her hand and said, "Well, it's true."

"Jeez, can you two just get married already? Forget this getting to know each other stuff. You belong together. Everyone knows it."

Emma cocked her head to the side and looked at her son, "Andrew, we can't just rush into things. Your dad has just forgiven me, and I still need to make things up to him. What I did to both of you was awful."

"But we're all together now, and it's good."

She nodded and said, "So far."

Drew asked, "What does that mean?"

"Your dad and I haven't been in a relationship since we were teenagers. That's why we have to get to know each other again. We have to rediscover each other as adults."

Sean added, "And we want to do that. I mean, I'm willing to do it."

"And so am I."

Drew said, "Good! Because I want us to be a family."

Sean looked at Drew, "We're already a family, buddy. Even if your mom and I don't get together." Emma nodded. "But we will get together because, as I said, I've loved her since grade 7, and I'm not letting her get away this time."

Emma turned to him, "You're not?"

Sean shook his head. "Nope, I'm not. It's why I didn't buy that apartment."

Drew said, "See? Move in with us!"

"Just give us a little time, okay?" Sean looked at Drew, "We'll keep doing what we're doing. Getting together and having dinners and lunches, and you'll be coming with me to work soon."

"And then?"

"And then we'll see."

"Fine."

Sean shook his head and couldn't help but laugh.

Drew asked, "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you're so much like me at your age, it's scary."


	12. Sharing the Night Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean and Emma spend more time together.

After dinner, the trio retreated to the living room and watched the Raptors game. Emma cuddled against Sean on the couch, and Drew sat on the loveseat.

"Does anyone dribble anymore?" Emma scoffed, "It's ridiculous."

Sean laughed, "Let's make a game of it and count how many steps they take."

Emma got up and walked into the kitchen. She opened a drawer, grabbed a pad and pen, and walked back over to the couch.

"Wow, you're hardcore."

Emma sat down and kept track of how many steps they took without dribbling.

Sean looked at Drew and smiled at him, "Your mother is really into this."

Drew shook his head and laughed.

"Look!" Emma pointed at the TV, "He took five steps!" She grabbed the remote, rewound the game, and showed them.

Sean nodded, "Yep. He took five steps. That's impressive."

"Hey, mom."

"Yes, Drew?"

"Why did that guy Rick point the gun at you?"

The question took Emma by surprise, "Why do you want to know?"

"Did he hate you or something?"

Sean answered, "No, he didn't hate your mom. He was just angry at a lot of people."

"I still can't believe you saved her, dad. That's amazing."

Sean said nothing, and Emma could tell he was getting uncomfortable talking about it.

"Andrew, let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Sorry."

"It's okay, sweetie. It's natural to be curious about it."

Sean stayed quiet for a bit, and Emma held his hand.

"Dad, I'm sorry if I upset you."

Sean shook his head, "You have nothing to be sorry about, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The Raptors won, and Drew stood up, "Time for bed, right?"

Emma nodded.

"Okay." He walked over and bent down to hug her, "Goodnight, mom."

"Goodnight, sweetie."

He walked over to his dad and bent down to hug him, "Goodnight, dad."

Sean smiled, "Goodnight, buddy."

Drew walked toward the stairs and looked at them. "This was nice."

Emma nodded, "It was."

Drew walked up the stairs, and Sean leaned forward and put his head in his hands.

"Sean, what's wrong?"

"I hadn't thought about the shooting in so long. I never worked through it, and everything I went through in Afghanistan pushed it to the back of my mind."

Emma put her arms around him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I killed Rick."

"You were defending us, Sean."

"I know," He turned to her, "When we wrestled for the gun, and it went off, it could have been me."

Emma caressed his face, "I thought it was you, and it terrified me."

"It's why I stayed in Wasaga."

Emma nodded. "I remember."

"So I hadn't really thought about it in years."

"Me either, honestly."

"But it's natural for Drew to ask about it. And I don't blame him."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so serious and brooding."

"Babe, it's fine. I understand."

Sean smiled and leaned forward, "So, what would you like to do now?"

"You're not going home yet?"

"Not unless you want me to."

Emma shook her head, "I definitely don't want you to."

"Good, because I don't want to."

"We can go downstairs."

Sean raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

Emma nodded.  Sean stood up and held out his hand,  Emma grabbed it and stood up, and  Sean led the way downstairs.

* * *

When Sean woke up, sunlight was streaming into the room. He sat up in a panic and checked his phone. It was 7:10. "Shit." He got out of the bed and gathered his clothes.

Emma woke up and stretched, "Good morning." She watched as Sean was scrambling to get dressed. "Are you okay?"

"I really need to get out of here before Drew sees me."

"He usually wakes up at 7:30, so you're okay."

Sean zipped up his jeans and looked at Emma, "Last night was nice, and being here with you right now is nice."

Emma smiled. "Even though you're about to do the walk of shame."

Sean laughed, then put on his sweater and looked around for his shoes. When he found them, he sat on the bed next to Emma and put them on.

"I loved having you here and waking up to you panicking to find your clothes."

Sean laughed again.

"Maybe one night we can sleep in my room."

Sean turned to her and said, "Definitely."

Emma smiled.

Sean quickly kissed her and got up, "I gotta get home, shower, and then get to work."

"You can walk out the back and around the side."

"Yeah," Sean walked over to the sliding door, "I'll do that."

"Bye."

"Bye." He walked out, turned around to close the door, and said, "I love you."

Emma smiled at him and said, "I love you."

Emma got out of bed, put on her clothes, and walked up the stairs and into the kitchen. Drew was sitting at the table eating cereal. Emma gasped, "Sweetie, you scared me." She shut the basement door and said, "You're up early."

"And you're wearing the same thing you were wearing last night."

"Um, yeah, I fell asleep in my clothes."

"Downstairs?" Emma nodded. "Did dad stay over?"

Emma couldn't lie to him, "Are you okay with that?"

Drew nodded, "Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He looked at her, "Why did you go downstairs?"

"Well, we didn't want to disturb you."

"Where is dad?"

"He had to go home and get ready for work."

Drew looked at her, "So he sneaked out?"

"We weren't sure how you would react."

"Mom, I told you I'm fine with all of this. I want dad to be in our lives." Emma nodded. "So don't sneak around because of me."

"Okay." Emma smiled at him, "So how does today look?"

"No tests. We have a science quiz tomorrow, so I will use my free period to study."

"Good. Do you study alone or with a friend?"

"Usually alone. If I'm sitting with a friend, we'll just talk and not get anything done."

"That sounds familiar." Emma laughed.

"So, are you sure I didn't upset dad last night?"

"Yes, sweetie."

"Because he seemed upset."

Emma took a deep breath because it was hard to explain everything to Drew, "He wasn't upset with you. He just hadn't thought about the shooting in a long time. He kind of buried it in the back of his mind. So being reminded of it took him back to a dark place."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, and he's okay, I promise."

* * *

Sean was sitting in his office at the shop when there was a knock on his door. "Come in."

It was Emma.

He smiled when he saw her and said, "Hi."

"Hello." She walked in and closed the door.

Sean stood up, walked over to her, and asked, "Everything good?"

She nodded and kissed him softly. "Everything's great."

Sean wrapped his arms around her waist, "Oh yeah?"

Emma nodded, "Our son was in the kitchen when you left this morning."

"Uh-oh."

Emma laughed, "It was fine. He said that next time you should just sleep in my room."

"Oh really?"

Emma nodded, "It really doesn't bother him."

Sean made a face.

"Sean, he wants you to move in already, and he's only known you a few weeks."

Sean smiled and said, "Let's wait a few more weeks so that people don't think we're completely insane."

"I don't care what other people think."

"I know you don't."

Emma ran her fingers through his hair, "I love you, and you love me." Sean nodded, "And I don't want to lose you again."

He smiled and said, "I feel the same way."

"Good."

He quickly kissed her and walked to the door. He locked it and turned back to her.

Emma asked, "Is it a good thing I wore this skirt today?"

Sean smiled, nodded, and walked back over to her.

She smiled and said, "Okay, I'll try not to be too loud."

* * *

"That was a lot of fun."

"That was a first for me."

"Really?" Emma helped Sean button up his shirt, "I'm surprised you haven't had more fun in this office."

"I haven't really had anyone to have fun with until now."

"It was a challenge being so quiet."

Sean smiled, "It certainly was."

Emma straightened herself up, "Do I look okay?"

"Beautiful, as always." Sean asked, "And me?"

"Adorable, as always. Except," She wiped around his mouth, "You got some lipstick on your face." Sean kissed her again, and she squealed. "Sean!"

"What?" He kissed her neck.

"We both have to get back to work."

Sean pulled away and asked, "Do we have to?"

Emma nodded, "Yes, but maybe we can get together later?"

"Yes."

She asked, "Your place or mine?"

"My place."

"I can get mom or dad to hang out with Drew. He has a science quiz to study for, so this is perfect."

Sean smiled.

"I really have to go. I have a showing in 20 minutes." She pulled away from his embrace and asked, "So honestly, do I look okay?" She twirled around for him.

"Yes. You look great."

"Okay," She kissed him, "What time do you want me to come over?"

"7? We'll have dinner."

"Perfect. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Nope, just your beautiful self."

"Okay." She kissed him again, "I love you."

"I love you."

"Bye."

He reached over and unlocked his office door, "See you later."

Emma walked out, and his guys all looked at him. Sean shrugged and walked back to his desk.

* * *

"Thanks for doing this, mom."

"You're welcome."

Emma put on her coat and grabbed her purse, "We're just having dinner. I shouldn't be too late."

"Em…"

"Okay, I may be late."

Christine laughed.

Emma lowered her voice, "We had sex in his office earlier."

"Emma!"

"We couldn't help it."

Christine shook her head, then smiled, "I miss those days. When the relationship is new, and you can't keep your hands off each other."

Emma nodded.

"You're careful, right?"

"Yes, mom."

"Good. You don't want another surprise."

"True. So how do I look?"

"Beautiful."

Emma smiled.

* * *

Sean made dinner for Emma and lit some candles around his apartment. As he waited for her arrival, he looked around his place and made sure it looked nice for her. When his buzzer went off, he jogged to the intercom.

"Em?"

"Yep."

He buzzed her in and waited by the front door for her. When she walked out of the elevator, she smiled at him.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Sean let her into the apartment and locked the door. "Can I take your coat?"

"Yes, thanks."

Sean took off her coat, and she turned around. He smiled at her, "You look pretty." Emma was wearing a gray and black leopard print sweater and black jeans.

"Thank you. You look very handsome." Sean was wearing a navy sweater and jeans.

He smiled, "Thanks." He hung up her coat and said, "Come on in." He grabbed her hand and walked her into the apartment.

Emma looked around and said, "Sean, it looks lovely."

"Come, sit down." He held out a chair for her, and she sat down.

"You made dinner?"

"Don't get too excited." He walked over to his stove, "It's just some pasta with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes." He scooped some of it into a serving bowl and placed it in the middle of the table.

"Well, it looks fantastic."

"Thank you. What would you like to drink? I have wine, beer, water—"

"I'll have a glass of wine."

Sean got a wine glass and poured some white wine into it for Emma. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and walked over to the table. He handed Emma her wine and sat down.

She said, "Let's toast."

"Okay."

Emma looked at him and held up her glass, "To us finding each other again. And to our son, his father's clone, but who changed our lives for the better."

Sean smiled, "I'll drink to that." He took a sip of his beer and said, "Take some pasta."

Emma took two spoonfuls, and Sean waited for her to take a bite. When she did, she closed her eyes.

"Is it okay?"

Emma nodded, "That's great. Is that goat cheese?"

Sean nodded.

"So you made a vegetarian dish just for me?"

"Of course, I did." He laughed, "I wouldn't force you to eat meat."

Emma smiled. "Maybe I'll turn you into one after all."

Sean shook his head, "Never."

Emma laughed.


	13. Family Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean, Emma, and Drew spend more time together and bond as a family.

After dinner, Sean and Emma retreated to his couch. Emma rested her head on Sean's chest, and he played with her hair.

"This is nice."

Emma smiled, "It is."

"I like just being with you, Em."

"I enjoy being with you too. Just sitting here and holding each other."

"Yep." Sean smiled and said, "I really can't believe what we did earlier in my office."

"Neither can I but it was a lot of fun."

"It definitely was." He looked down at her, "I always wondered what it would be like to have sex on my desk but never thought I would ever do it."

Emma laughed, looked at him, and asked, "Was it everything you hoped it would be?"

"It was even better." Emma smiled and kissed him. Sean pulled away and said, "It's too bad you're not wearing that skirt now."

"Well, I had to shower when I got home." Sean smiled. "But I can take these jeans off just as easily."

Sean raised an eyebrow and said, "Or I can."

Emma sat up, smiled, and laid back, "Have it 'em." Sean hovered over her and unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. She lifted herself up so he could pull them down. He knelt on the floor and pulled Emma's body closer to him. Emma looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. Sean smiled and started kissing her inner thigh. Emma writhed around a bit, and he continued to tease her. "You're being so mean right now."

He looked up at her, smiled, then pulled down her panties. She helped him take them off, and he tossed them to the side. "Better?"

Emma nodded. "Much."

"Do you remember the first time I did this to you?"

Emma smiled, "Yes, I do."

"You were  _ really _ loud."

"Because it felt so good."

"It's a good thing we weren't in your house." Emma laughed and looked down at him. Sean grinned, "Let's see if I can make you scream again."

* * *

"Oh my God."

Sean sat up and looked at Emma, "Are you okay?"

Emma nodded.

He laughed, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Emma sat up against Sean's headboard and turned to him, "That was incredible."

Sean smiled, "You were loud."

"I feel like I can be here."

"I wonder what my neighbors will think."

Emma smiled, "They'll think, 'Wow I wish I was having sex like that.'

Sean laughed, "Yeah, well…"

"We really can't be this loud when you move in."

Sean looked at her and said, "First of all, it's you that's loud."

"Excuse me, sir? You're pretty loud too, you know."

"Fine. It's both of us." Sean wrapped his arms around Emma and she snuggled into his chest, "We'll have to convince Drew to spend time at his friends' houses."

"That won't be easy."

Sean asked, "Doesn't he have friends?"

"Yeah, but it's different from when we were that age. Most of his friends are playing video games with him on the computer."

"Ah."

They sat there in silence for a few moments, then Emma looked at him and said, "I have a question for you."

Sean raised an eyebrow, "Okay…"

Emma asked, "How many women have you been with?"

"Hmmm," He thought about it. "Five? Six? Not many."

"Including me?"

"Yes."

His answer shocked Emma, "Really?"

He laughed, "Yes. Why is that so surprising?"

"Because you're adorable and women must throw themselves at you."

Sean laughed, "Not really."

"Oh come on."

"Okay, sometimes I get women flirting with me at the shop but I've never been the guy to sleep around."

Emma smiled at him.

"And you?"

Emma grinned, "How many women have I been with?"

Sean laughed, "Hey, I wouldn't be against that at all."

Emma shook her head, "Sorry, I am only attracted to men." She said, "Three."

"That's it?"

"It was difficult to date as a single mom," Sean said nothing. "If I had told you about Drew sooner, we could have been together this whole time." She put her forehead on his chest, "I'm sorry."

"We can't change the past so let's be happy we're together now and let's build a future together, okay?" Emma nodded her head. "Em, look at me." Emma looked at him with tears in her eyes. He smiled and said, "I love you." She nodded. "And you love me." She nodded again. "So that's all that matters right now."

She smiled, "You're right."

"I know I'm right." Emma laughed and he continued, "So no more tears, okay?"

Emma wiped her face, nodded, and smiled, "Okay."

* * *

Sean and Emma were in his entryway saying goodbye.

"I don't want to leave but I can't leave Drew alone." Sean nodded. "So maybe next time you can come to my house."

Sean smiled, "Tomorrow?"

Emma nodded, "Yes. We'll have dinner as a family and you can stay over if you want."

"That sounds wonderful."

Emma kissed Sean, pulled away and smiled. "I really do love you."

"I love you. And I love our son." Emma smiled and hugged him. "Please text me when you get home."

"I will."

They kissed one more time and Emma left. Sean walked back into his bedroom, looked around and smiled.

* * *

When Emma walked into her house, Christine was sleeping on the couch. Emma quietly closed the front door and hung up her coat.

"Em?"

She turned around and Christine was stretching. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was in that twilight sleep and I heard you walk in."

"Oh good. Do you want to stay over? You can if you want."

Christine shook her head, "No, that's okay."

"You can sleep downstairs."

Christine smiled, "Okay, I'll call Archie."

"Thank you for tonight. Sean's coming over tomorrow."

"Oh?" Christine stood up, "Are you having a sleepover?"

Emma nodded.

"Good."

"Yeah, we'll see."

After Emma got changed and ready for bed, she texted Sean. "I'm home and I'm in bed."

Sean grabbed his phone as soon as it started buzzing and smiled. He typed back, "I wish I was there with you."

"So do I."

"I'm actually sad because I'm not there with you."

Emma smiled and typed, "You will be tomorrow."

"That's true."

"Thanks again for tonight. It was wonderful."

Sean smiled and typed back, "You're welcome. And it was wonderful."

"I'm getting sleepy so I will say goodnight and I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

Sean typed back, "Goodnight and ditto."

* * *

"So, how did the science quiz go?"

Drew replied, "I think it was good. I didn't really have trouble answering anything."

Emma said, "That's great, sweetie."

"Yeah, I got a lot of studying done last night and it wasn't that bad."

"Good."

Drew asked, "Did you have a nice dinner with dad last night?"

"Yes, I did. He's coming over tonight."

"Oh? Just for dinner."

"No." Emma stopped at a red light and looked at Drew, "He wants to spend the night so he can have breakfast with us in the morning."

"Really?" Drew smiled.

Emma nodded, "Really."

"Good."

"So do you have any idea about what you want for dinner?"

"I'm up for anything."

"Okay."

* * *

Sean brought his duffel bag to the shop so he could go to Emma's right after work.

He arrived at Emma's at 6:00 and rang the doorbell.

Emma smiled, walked to the front door and opened it, "Hello."

"Hi."

"Come on in."

"Thank you." He walked in and looked around.

She closed the door and Sean grabbed her waist and kissed her hello.

When he pulled away, he asked, "How was your day?"

She smiled and said, "It's much better now."

"Good." He kissed her again quickly, then asked, "Where's our son?"

"He's upstairs doing his homework."

"Oh good."

Emma looked at his bag and asked, "Want me to take that?"

"Nope," Sean placed it next to the stairs, "You can show me your bedroom later."

"Okay, want to watch me cook dinner?"

"Sure."

Emma grabbed his hand and led him into the kitchen. "So how was your day?"

Sean sat down at the island and watched Emma. "Good, actually. We finished a lot of jobs as new business was coming in. It almost never stops."

"That's great!"

"It is great. It's better than I ever could have imagined."

Emma turned to him and smiled, "Again, I'm really proud of you."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

"Hey, dad!" Drew walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, buddy. How was that science quiz?"

"Pretty good, I think. I knew a lot more than I thought I would."

"That's great!"

Drew sat next to his dad. "So you're staying over tonight?"

Sean nodded, "Are you okay with that?"

"I'm really okay with that."

"Good, I'm glad." Sean pat Drew's back. "Because we don't want to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable."

"Dad, I want you to move in here with us." Sean looked at Emma and then back at Drew. "I don't care that it's only been a few weeks. You two should have been together this whole time."

Emma nodded, "You're right. We should have. We just have to be smart about this."

"Yes," Sean looked at Drew, "But just know that it's heading that way and it may happen sooner than you think."

"Good."

Emma smiled and finished cooking dinner.

* * *

While they were eating, Drew said, "Dad."

"Yeah?" Sean looked at Drew.

"I'm sorry about making you upset."

"You don't have to be sorry. Really. It's fine."

"I won't bring it up again."

Sean nodded and put his hand on Drew's shoulder.

Emma grabbed Sean's other hand and rubbed it with her thumb. "So, Andrew, any more exams we should know about?"

"Not this week but I have a paper due next week for Mr. Del Rossi's class."

Sean asked, "Do you like his class?"

"It's alright, I guess."

"You know we know him, right?"

"Yeah, mom told me."

"One time I was sleeping over at a friend's house with a few guys and we were playing truth or dare. Marco, um, Mr. Del Rossi, dialed your mom's number without telling me and dared me to prank someone."

Emma started laughing. "I remember that."

"I wanted to kill him."

Drew asked, "Why?"

"Well, your mom and I were broken up then."

"Oh."

Emma asked, "How did he even get our number?"

"It was on Joey's refrigerator."

"Oh right because I was Angie's babysitter."

Drew asked, "Who are Joey and Angie?"

Emma answered and said, "Joey is one of grandpa's oldest and dearest friends. He's out in Calgary. And Angela is his daughter."

Sean looked at Emma and said, "I wonder where Craig is."

"Last I heard he was in Vancouver still playing music."

"Oh, well, that's cool."

"Yeah."

Sean said, "You know who came into my shop about six months ago?"

"Who?"

"Spinner Mason."

"Oh yeah? I see Spin every once in a while when we stop in at the Dot."

Sean asked, "He owns it now, right?"

"Yep."

Drew asked, "Mom, why is his name Spinner?"

Emma answered, "He had ADD when he was younger and before he went on his meds, he was basically spinning like a top."

"Oh. I wish I had a cool nickname." He looked at Sean, "Does everyone call you Sean?"

"Mostly. Some of my guys at work call me Cameron."

"Yeah, some of my friends call me Nelson."

Emma looked at Sean, "Jay used to call me Greenpeace."

And Sean raised an eyebrow.

Drew asked, "Why?"

"Because I was into environmental causes when I was in high school."

"Your mom even started her own environmental club in 9th grade." He looked at Emma, "What was it called again?"

"Site." Emma shook her head, "Let's not talk about 9th grade."

Sean laughed, "Yeah, that was not a good year for us. Well, more for me. I was such a jackass."

Drew laughed, "What did you do?"

Emma answered before Sean could, "He dumped me and was a total jerk to me."

Sean nodded and agreed, "I was."

Drew asked, "Wait, how many times did you go out and break up?"

Sean thought about it and answered, "It was three times, right?"

Emma nodded.

Drew looked at his parents. "On second thought, maybe it is a good thing you're not rushing into anything."

Both Sean and Emma laughed. Sean took a drink then said, "So Drew, what would you say about coming to work with me on Saturday?"

"Really?"

Emma nodded, "Yep. You're really turning things around in school and I think you should be able to hang out with your dad."

"Thanks!"

Sean smiled at Emma and squeezed her hand.

* * *

After dinner, Sean and Emma were sitting on the couch while Drew was sitting on the loveseat.

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie."

"I've never seen you this happy or relaxed before."

"Well, I'm thankful to have your father back in my life."

Sean kissed her forehead.

Drew said, "So am I."

Sean looked at his son and smiled. "And I'm glad to have you both in my life."

"I'm really excited about watching you work."

"Yeah, well, I'm usually in my office a lot but on Saturday, I'll show you how to fix some stuff."

"Really? That'll be so cool!"

Sean smiled.

Emma asked, "It'll be great. You guys will spend the morning together and I'll be doing laundry and cleaning up around here."

Sean said, "Maybe we can do something together in the afternoon."

Drew asked, "As a family?"

Sean said, "Yep."

"I'll look up something fun we can do." Emma got up and walked over to the computer.

Sean sat up and smiled at Drew.

Emma said, "Ooh the winter festival is still going on and there are lots of things to do there."

Drew made a face and Sean laughed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Sean said, "You can tell me."

Emma turned around in the computer chair, "Andrew, are you embarrassed by the thought of spending the day with your parents?"

"No, it's just walking around and being around all those people downtown."

Emma stood up, "Okay, you need to learn how to be out and about." She walked back over to the couch and sat next to Sean. "We will have fun!"

Drew rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever you say."

Sean laughed, "Okay, stop doing that because I'm having flashbacks."

Emma looked at him, "How do you think I feel?"


	14. Exciting News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean gets a new client

At 9:30, Drew got up and walked over to his parents, who were still on the couch together, "Time for bed."

"Okay, kiddo." Emma kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight, buddy."

"Night, dad."

Drew walked up the stairs, and Sean changed his position on the couch. He laid back, and Emma got between his legs and rested her head on his chest.

"This was a great night, Sean."

"It was." He kissed her hair. "I like spending time with the two of you."

They stayed there for a few minutes chatting when Emma said, "You know what I just realized?"

"What?"

"You still don't know what my room looks like."

"That's true."

She sat up, "Let's bring your stuff up there, and I'll show you around."

Sean raised an eyebrow, "This must be some room."

Emma laughed, "Come on."

They stood up, and Sean walked over to the entryway to grab his duffel bag. "Lead the way, dear."

Emma walked up the stairs ahead of Sean, who smacked her ass. She squealed, "Sean!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It was right there."

When they reached the top of the stairs, Emma grabbed his hand and led Sean to the attic stairs.

"Oh, it's up on the third floor?" Emma nodded. He followed her up and looked around. "Wow, Em, this is amazing."

"This is the lounge area." There was a small couch and a TV. She opened a sliding barn door, "Here's the bathroom."

Sean peeked his head inside and whistled, "Wow." There was a freestanding tub, and two vessel sinks on a floating vanity, a glass shower with a hand-held showerhead, and a rainfall showerhead.

She smiled and said, "And this is the boudoir."

Sean laughed, "You know, I like the lower ceilings. They make me feel tall." Emma laughed. "Seriously, it's beautiful up here."

"Thanks. I'm lucky to afford this place. When the real estate market is good, I make a good living."

Sean placed his bag on a bench in front of Emma's bed. "Uh, Em, that's a lot of pillows. Do you make the bed every day?"

Emma smiled, "I slack on the weekends. It's why I'm glad the room is up here, and no one can really see it." Sean laughed. "Oh, and when it's nice out, I sit out there."

Emma flipped a light switch, Sean looked out a pair of French doors, and he saw a small patio with two chairs that overlooked the backyard.

"That must be great on a summer morning."

"Yeah, I sometimes will have my coffee out there." She pointed toward the lounge side of the attic, "I have a single cup coffee maker in the cabinet in there, so I don't have to go all the way downstairs.

Sean smiled, "Fancy."

Emma laughed, "More like lazy."

Sean walked over, sat on her bed, and looked around. "You know, sometimes it's hard to believe that I'm still here." Emma walked over and sat next to him. "There were a few times when I probably could have died in Afghanistan, but I made it home alive."

Emma caressed his face, "You did."

Sean kissed her and leaned his head on her forehead, "I'm thrilled to have this chance with you and our son."

Emma smiled and kissed him.

* * *

"That was nice."

Sean smiled, "It reminded me of the night we conceived Drew." He kissed her hair, "Quiet and nice."

"Yeah."

"I still can't believe we did that."

Emma looked up at him, "I wanted it to be our goodbye." Sean nodded. "I still loved you, but I didn't want to hold you back from what you wanted to do or what you felt like you needed to do."

"I was so happy that night." Emma smiled, and he continued, "I really was. For those couple of hours, I forgot about what I was heading into and could just be with you." He looked at her, "I figured you would steer clear of me the entire weekend."

"I almost did, and then I decided that I needed to be with you one more time." Sean smiled. "Plus, that whole man in uniform thing is true."

Sean laughed. "Oh yeah?" Emma nodded. "I wasn't wearing my uniform in bed."

Emma started tickling him.

"Hey!" Sean grabbed her hands. "You don't really want to do that."

"Oh no?" Emma smiled.

Sean rolled them over, so he was hovering over Emma, "No." He held onto her wrists and smiled.

Emma raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Cameron."

"Yes, Miss Nelson?"

"Are you going to hold me down as you make love to me?"

"Maybe."

"Please?"

"If you insist."

"Oh, I insist."

Sean smiled, and Emma raised her head and started kissing him.

* * *

"We are definitely sleeping well tonight."

Emma looked at Sean in the bathroom mirror and smiled. They were getting ready for bed together. "I like this."

"Me too."

"It feels right."

Sean nodded, "It does."

"You can sleep here as much as you'd like."

"Oh yeah?"

Emma nodded, "Yes. This place is closer to your shop than to your apartment."

"That is true."

"And we both love having you here."

Sean smiled and kissed Emma's cheek. "Which side of the bed do you usually sleep on?"

"I sleep in the middle. I've never had to share my bed." She turned to him, "Do you have a side?"

"Not really."

"Okay. We'll walk in there and see what works."

Sean nodded. He rinsed his mouth out with some mouthwash and spat into his sink. "All done."

Emma laughed, "Give me a few more minutes. I have some girly stuff to do."

"You ladies and all your lotions and potions." Sean walked out of the bathroom and stood next to the bed. He looked around the room and smiled. He could picture himself living there permanently, but he didn't want to tell Emma that. Not yet.

A few minutes later, Emma emerged from the bathroom. Sean leaned over and smelled her, "Wow, you smell great. What is that?"

"An apricot vanilla body lotion."

"Mmm, I want to eat you." He kissed her neck.

"You already did."

Sean laughed. "So, how are we going to do this?"

Emma shrugged. "Should we flip a coin?"

Sean walked over to the side of the bed, closer to the French doors. "I'll go on this side."

Emma smiled and climbed into bed.

Sean looked around, "Where did all the pillows go?"

"Over there in that cabinet." She pointed at a built-in cabinet that lined the opposite wall of the room.

"Ah," He joined Emma in the bed and got comfortable.

She reached for the lamp switch and shut off the light. "What time do you need to get up?"

"A little before 7. The shop opens at 8:30, and I need to get there to let the guys in."

"Okay." Emma set the alarm on her phone. "Goodnight." She kissed him quickly on the lips and turned away from him.

"Goodnight." Sean laid on his back for a few moments, but he wasn't comfortable. "Em?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can I hold you as we fall asleep?"

"Of course you can."

"Okay," He turned over, spooned her, wrapped his left arm around her waist, and she held onto it. He kissed her hair, "Goodnight, again."

"Goodnight."

* * *

The next morning, Emma's alarm went off at 6:45. She reached for it, and Sean groaned.

Emma turned to him and said, "Good morning."

He smiled with his eyes still closed.

"You want me to make you something to eat?"

"No," Sean kissed her nose and sat up, "I'm going to jump in the shower. You go back to sleep for a little bit. I'm sorry you had to wake up earlier than usual."

"It's only half an hour earlier." Emma sat up, "And I can start cooking while you're in the shower."

Sean got out of bed and smiled, "Okay."

"Good." Emma got up and stretched, "Coffee too?"

"Oh God, yes. Can't survive without it."

"Same." Emma walked over to the stairs and smiled at him, "See you soon."

"Okay."

Emma went down to the kitchen and started making omelets for breakfast. A little while later, Drew walked into the kitchen and sat at the kitchen island. "Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?"

"Fine."

"Good. I was making breakfast for your dad because he has to head out early. Would you like some eggs?"

"Sure." He looked at his mother, "Am I going to have to wake up this early on Saturday?"

Emma laughed, "Yes. The shop is open for the first half of the day, so no sleeping in."

Drew put his head down on his arms, and Emma rubbed his head.

About five minutes later, Sean walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, buddy." He pat Drew on the back, and Drew raised his head. "Rough night?"

"No, I'm just tired."

Emma laughed, "Yeah, kids his age need about 10 hours of sleep to function."

Sean nodded, "I remember those days." He sat down at the island with Drew, "I can't remember the last time I slept past 9. I can't even sleep late on my day off."

"Really?" Drew asked, "Have you ever thought about making your Saturday hours in the afternoon?"

"I actually toyed with the idea but truthfully, I enjoy getting in early and getting out early. Then I have the whole rest of the day to do whatever I want."

Emma placed an omelet in front of Sean, "Breakfast, dear."

Sean chuckled. "Thanks."

Emma placed salt and pepper in front of Sean. "Drew, how do you want your eggs?"

"Scrambled."

"You got it." She went back to cooking.

Sean got up and opened the fridge. He grabbed some orange juice and looked at Drew, "Want some?"

Drew nodded.

Sean grabbed two glasses, poured orange juice, and walked back to the other side of the island. "There you go, kiddo." He sat back down and started eating.

"This is nice." Drew looked at his dad then at his mom, "It could be like this every morning."

"Well, not every morning. I wouldn't force your mother to make breakfast every day. There are some days when Tim Horton's coffee and a greasy bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich hits the spot."

Emma cringed, "Bacon."

Drew said, "I love bacon."

Sean smiled.

Emma set Drew's eggs in front of him, then turned off the stove.

Sean asked, "Aren't you eating?"

Drew didn't let her answer, "She eats this really gross cereal that takes like the box it's in."

That amused Sean, "Oh really?"

Emma scoffed, "It's not  _ that _ bad!"

Drew looked at his dad and mouthed, "It's awful."

Emma laughed, "I saw that."

After Sean finished his omelet, he went back upstairs to brush his teeth and finished getting dressed. When he came back down, he was without his duffel bag.

Emma looked at him, "Where's your bag?"

"Upstairs. I packed enough for a couple of days."

Drew smiled, "So you'll be back tonight?"

"If your mom allows it."

Emma smiled, "Of course I'll allow it."

"Good." Sean grabbed his coat and walked back over to Emma, "I should be home by 6-6:15."

"Okay." Emma walked over to the drawer closest to the refrigerator and grabbed a spare key, "For you, so you don't have to knock."

Sean smiled, "Thank you," They quickly kissed goodbye, and Sean looked at Drew, "Have a good day at school, kiddo."

"I'll try."

Sean laughed, "Bye."

Emma watched him walk out, and when Sean closed the door, Drew said, "This is the way it should always be."

Emma nodded, "I know, kiddo. I know."

* * *

Sean was in his office and shutting down for the day when his phone rang. He was tempted to ignore it but didn't want to lose a potential customer.

"Cameron's Custom Cars."

"Hello, is this Sean Cameron?"

Sean rolled his eyes. He wanted to get home to Emma and Drew, "Yes, it is."

"Oh hi, my name is Jordan Jackson, and I'm Drake's second assistant."

Sean sat up straight in his chair, "Hello, Jordan. How may I help you?"

"Kyle Lowry gave my boss your number, and he'd like to have you work on one of his cars."

"Sounds good. What kind of car is it?"

"A 2020 Bentley."

Sean whistled, "Nice. I will need him or someone else to come in with the car so we can figure out exactly what he wants to do."

"That's not a problem. Is there any way you can do it after hours?"

"Definitely. If you need discretion, that's fine."

"Great! He's out of town this week, but he'll be back the following week, so how about we set something up when we're closer to his return."

"Sounds good." Sean wrote everything down. "I look forward to talking to you then, Jordan."

"Thanks, Mr. Cameron. Bye."

"Bye." Sean hung up and took a deep breath. "Holy shit."

* * *

When Sean keyed into the house, Emma was sitting at the computer in the living room corner.

"Hey, babe."

"Hey," Sean walked over to her and kissed her head, "Working late?"

"Yeah. Just straightening out some contracts. How was your day?"

"Well, it was pretty ordinary until the very end."

"Oh?" Emma spun around in her chair, "What happened?"

Sean sat on the arm of the loveseat, "Drake's second assistant called me."

"Oh my God, babe!"

Sean nodded. "He's out of town right now, but he'll be back next week. He wants me to work on his car."

Emma's eyes widened.

Sean smiled and nodded, "Yeah, this is a big deal."

She got up and hugged him so hard that they fell back onto the loveseat.

Sean laughed, "Whoa."

"Sorry." Emma tried to raise herself, but Sean pulled her back down.

"This is fine."

Emma smiled and kissed him. When she pulled away, she asked, "What would you like for dinner?"

"Anything, really. Don't go too crazy."

"I won't. Not on a weeknight." She laughed.

Sean asked, "Where's our boy?"

"He's doing his homework."

"Good."

Emma got up, "Dinner will be ready in like 20 minutes."

"Okay." Sean got up off the loveseat and followed Emma into the kitchen. "Do you mind if I watch you cook?"

"Of course not."

Sean leaned against the counter and looked at her, "You know what's funny?"

"What's that?"

"I wasn't even tempted to go home. My truck drove directly here." Emma turned and smiled. "How's April?"

Emma asked, "April?"

"For me to move in here."

Emma asked, "Are you sure?"

Sean nodded, "Positive."

Emma walked over to him and hugged him. "I love you."

He smiled and said, "I love you."


	15. Surprise!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend pays a visit.

Emma called up the stairs to Drew, "Andrew, dinner's ready!" She walked back over to the table. "He will be so happy."

Sean smiled, "I hope so."

Drew walked down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, "Hey, dad."

"Hey there. How was school?"

"It was okay." He sat down, "How was work?"

"Good." Sean corrected himself, "Very good."

"Oh?" Drew was curious.

"Looks like Drake definitely wants me to work on his car."

Drew nearly fell off his chair, "Are you serious? Did you see him? Did he come into the shop?"

Sean held up his hands and laughed, "No, one of his assistants called. Famous people have a lot of assistants."

"Kind of like aunt Manny?"

Sean nodded, "Exactly like that."

Drew asked, "What kind of car does he have?"

"A Bentley."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Of course he does."

"Well," Sean turned to her, "That's just one of his cars."

Emma shook her head. "I couldn't imagine having that much money."

Sean agreed, "Me either. It seems like it could be dangerous."

Emma set dinner down on the table and sat with her boys. "Oh, drinks."

"I got them," Sean stopped her and got up, "What do you want?"

Drew said, "I'll have some water."

"Me too."

Sean said, "Easy enough."

"So, dad, when will you be working on Drake's Bentley?"

"Not sure exactly when, but you'll be the first to know." He grabbed a pitcher of water out of the fridge and brought it back to the table. "Before I sit, are we all set?"

Emma looked at the table, "I believe we are, yes."

Sean sat down.

As they were about to eat, the doorbell rang. Emma shrugged her shoulders and got up, "I'll see who it is." Sean watched her walk to the front door and stood up when he heard Emma exclaim, "Oh my God!"

Drew looked toward the front door.

"Come in!"

Sean stayed at the table and saw the person walk in, "Wow, I wonder if her ears were burning."

"Guys, look who's here!"

Manny Santos walked toward the kitchen and spotted Sean. She stopped in her tracks, turned to Emma, and Emma nodded. "This makes me so happy. You have no idea." Manny walked up to Sean and hugged him, "It is so good to see you, Cameron."

"You too, Miss Santos." He pulled away and held out her arms, "How's our movie star doing?"

"Ugh, I needed a break and figured I'd hide out here, but if you two–"

Emma interrupted her, "Nonsense. You know we have the suite downstairs."

"We? Are you living here now, Sean?" She wrapped her arms around Drew and kissed his head.

"Working toward it."

"Good, you two were apart way too long." She sat next to Drew, "And how are you, kiddo?"

"I'm glad to have my dad in my life."

Manny smiled, "The resemblance is uncanny, Sean. Really."

"Don't I know it."

Emma walked over to the stove, "Here, have dinner with us."

"I feel bad that I interrupted a quiet family moment."

Emma shook her head, "Don't be silly. You are family."

Manny smiled, "I'm thrilled you two found your way back to each other. You don't work without each other."

Emma smiled and placed Manny's dinner in front of her.

* * *

Dinner was raucous, and Drew just watched as his parents and Manny told funny stories from their teenage years.

"Hold on," Sean held up his hands, "You purposely broke Paige's leg? What the heck did I miss when I went back to Wasaga?"

Emma joked, "You missed _a lot_."

Sean said, "Wow, last I heard, Paige was in New York working in fashion."

Manny nodded, "She is. I saw her at fashion week in the fall. She's really doing well."

"Good to hear." Sean took a sip of his water and looked at his son, "You must be bored, huh?"

Drew shook his head, "No, I enjoy learning new things about you guys."

Emma laughed, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, parents are usually boring, but you have some interesting stories."

Manny looked over at Sean, "So how are you? Like really. I know you probably went through a lot overseas."

"I'm okay. I promise."

Manny smiled at him, "You're still adorable." She looked at Emma, "No wonder you can't resist him."

Sean laughed, and Drew shook his head.

"Sorry, kiddo. Are you horrified by the thought of your parents together like that?"

"No. I know they love each other."

Manny said, "Wow, you are not like every other 13-year-old."

Emma smiled, "No, he's definitely not."

Drew said, "I'm almost 14."

Manny nodded, "That's right. March 6?"

Drew nodded, then stood up, "Can I go up to my room? I have some reading to do."

Emma nodded, "Of course."

Drew brought his plate to the sink and then retreated upstairs.

Manny looked at Sean and Emma, "So when's the wedding?"

They both laughed.

"I'm serious."

Emma said, "Um, Manny, we have to get used to being back in each other's lives first."

"Oh, bullshit. You are in love with each other, always have been in love with each other, and always will be in love with each other."

Sean nodded, "That is true."

Emma grabbed Sean's hand, "Well, we just decided that Sean will move in here by April."

"Wonderful, then you can get married in June!"

Emma laughed, "That doesn't give us much time to plan."

Sean looked at her, "I'd marry you anytime, anywhere."

Emma turned to her, "Really?"

Sean nodded.

Manny smiled and clapped her hands, "I'm so excited!"

Sean held up his hand, "Manny, I still have to get a ring and propose and all that jazz. We can't just get married. I want to do this the proper way."

Emma smiled and said, "I never realized you were such a romantic."

He nodded.

Manny asked, "Can I still be excited?"

Sean and Emma looked at each other and nodded.

They left the table and went into the living room. Sean sat on the loveseat and watched Manny and Emma on the couch. He smiled, thinking back to junior high and high school.

Emma caught him and asked, "Why are you looking at us like that?"

"I'm just happy you're still close. It's nice to see." He stood up, "If you want to have a girls' night, I can always sleep downstairs."

Manny shook her head, "Sean, you guys have years of sex to catch up on."

Sean laughed, "Well, we're doing a pretty good job of that so far."

Emma gasped, "Sean!"

He smiled.

Manny squealed, "I knew it."

Emma shook her head and said to Sean, "You're paying for that later."

Sean grinned, "Promise?"

Drew peeked down the stairs, "Hey, Dad, can you come up here?"

"Sure, buddy." Sean walked over to the stairs, "I'll leave you two alone to gossip about me."

Emma and Manny laughed, and Sean jogged up the stairs.

Manny turned to Emma, "Tell me everything."

"Oh my God," Emma lowered her voice, "It's so good."

"I knew it."

"We had sex in his office at his shop."

Manny yelled, "Get out!"

Emma shushed, "Manny, not so loud."

Manny sighed and said, "I've always wanted to do that."

Emma smiled, "Didn't you do it in a movie?"

"Pretend sex on a set made to look like an office surrounded by 40 crew members is awful."

"It was really hot." Emma whispered, "He really knows what he's doing."

Manny smiled, "Oh yeah?"

Emma nodded, "I know it's because we're discovering each other again and that the spark will wear off eventually, but right now? I want to jump him every chance I get."

"How long had it been for you?"

"Way too long. I was almost as nervous as I was my first time."

"Aw, Em."

"Hey, kiddo." Sean walked into Drew's room, "Everything okay?"

Drew nodded.

Sean sat at the end of Drew's bed, and Drew turned toward him in his computer chair. "So what's up?"

"Nothing. I just figured you'd want to get away from mom and Manny."

Sean laughed, "It's not that bad. But yeah, I told them they could hang out and that I'd sleep in the basement if they wanted."

"Like an adult slumber party?"

"Something like that."

Drew nodded, "So you were in the Army?"

Sean nodded, "Yep."

"Is that why you weren't here at all when I was a baby?"

Sean nodded again, "I was in Afghanistan."

"Wow," Drew sat back in his chair, "That must have been scary."

"It was, but I made it home." Sean smiled.

"Can I write about you?"

"Write about me?"

Drew nodded, "We have to write a paper about heroes, and I want to write it about you."

"Is that the paper for Mr. Del Rossi's class?"

Drew nodded again.

"I would be honored."

"I just need to ask you some questions."

"Okay."

Drew blushed, "I have to think of them first."

Sean laughed, "That's fine. I can help you this weekend."

"Cool, thanks!"

A few minutes later, Sean walked downstairs and wiped a tear away.

Emma looked at him, concerned, and asked, "Babe? Are you okay?"

He nodded and sat down. "Our son has to write about a hero for his English class, and he wants to write about me."

Emma smiled, "Well, that's adorable."

Sean nodded.

Manny stood up, "I'm going to bring my stuff downstairs and change out of these clothes. I've been wearing them since early this morning, and I feel gross."

Emma said, "Take a shower. The showerhead down there is great."

Manny winked and walked to the basement door.

Emma walked over and sat on Sean's lap. "Are you okay?"

Sean nodded and wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you sure?"

Sean smiled and kissed her softly. When he pulled away, he said, "I'm sure."

"Good."

Sean and Emma watched TV together for an hour when Emma said, "Do you think Manny passed out down there?"

Sean laughed, "It's possible. It is a long flight from LA."

Emma got up, "I'm going to check up on her." Emma walked down to the basement and giggled. Manny had passed out on the bed, fully dressed. She hadn't even gotten into the shower.

Emma took off Manny's shoes, and Manny stirred, "Thank you, Em."

"You're welcome."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay."

Emma walked back upstairs and filled Sean in.

"Really?"

"Yep, fully dressed. I helped her get her shoes off."

Sean laughed.

"I was thinking about something." She sat back down next to Sean and cuddled against him.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to move here, or should we get a new place that's ours together?"

"I wouldn't mind moving in here at all. Honestly."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure."

"I like it here because you and Drew are here."

Emma smiled, "We would be in a new place too."

Sean chuckled, "You know what I mean."

"So we'll stay here." Sean nodded. "Perfect." Emma looked toward the stairs, "Speaking of Drew, I'm going to check on him. Wanna come?"

"You go ahead."

"Okay." Emma stood up and walked to the stairs. She looked over at Sean, "I'm not sure I've loved you more than I do right now."

Sean smiled, "The feeling is mutual."

* * *

Sean was already sitting up in bed and waiting while Emma was still getting ready. When she walked out of the bathroom, she was wearing only her panties.

"Um, Em?"

"Yes?"

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"Of course not." She climbed onto the bed and straddled him, "I would never do that."

"I guess we're not going to sleep yet."

Emma shook her head.

"I really have no problem with that."

"Good."

He looked at her and ran his hands up and down her back, "You're so beautiful."

Emma smiled.

"I'm so lucky." They kissed for a few moments, and Sean rolled them, so he was hovering over Emma.

"You really like taking charge, don't you?"

Sean nodded, "Is that okay?"

"That's very okay."

Sean smiled and started kissing his way down her body. Within minutes, Emma was completely naked.

She looked at Sean and said, "You're wearing too much."

"I know."

She helped him get his pants off, and she climbed on top of him again. she asked, "Can I be in charge this time?" Sean nodded. "Oh, good."

* * *

"Wow."

Emma was lying on top of Sean, out of breath and sweaty. "That was so good." She kissed Sean's neck.

"Yeah, it was."

Emma raised her head and smiled at him, "We need a shower."

Sean raised an eyebrow. "Can we take a shower without fooling around?"

"Probably not, but it's better for the environment." She rolled off him and lay on her back. "You know, to conserve water."

"True." Sean turned toward her and leaned down over her chest. He licked a bead of sweat that was running down between her breasts.

"Sean…"

He pulled away and smiled, "Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," He leaned down again and started kissing around her belly button.

"Mmm, you don't fight fair at all."

He looked at her, "I can't help it." He positioned himself between her legs, and she spread them wider, "If I had my way, we would be naked together for like five straight days."

Emma looked down at him, "That would be amazing."

Sean nodded and started licking her.

"Oh, God." She started playing with his hair, "I love you so much."

* * *

After they showered, Sean and Emma finally got ready for bed.

"You were trying to make me scream."

Sean grinned, "Maybe."

"You're so bad."

"I know."

"You're also so good." He laughed. "Thank you for tonight."

"Thank you." He kissed her and walked out of the bathroom.

When Emma climbed into bed, she snuggled up against him, "So were you serious about getting married?"

"Of course I was." Emma smiled. "Obviously, we can't rush into it, but I'll marry you wherever you want."

"Good."

He kissed her hair. "I love you."

"I love you."


End file.
